Looking for me?
by Cristi0819
Summary: My first attempt.  Stephanie owes Ranger a favor.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters are courtesy of the amazing Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this story.

A/N: This is my first attempt at fanfiction and I would dearly love reviews, ideas and constructive criticism. I discovered fanfiction about 6 months ago and have been addicted since then. I am a Babe lover, though I have recently become somewhat of a Lester lover as well. This story is firmly Babe. Though we all know that Hector only speaks Spanish, for the purpose of this story, and my limited time, it will appear as English

From _Sizzling Sixteen:_

"I'm going out of the country for a few weeks. Tank will watch out for you and I'll be on my cell phone. I'll be in touch when I get back. You owe me."

Looking for me? Chapter 1:

My life is crap. I'm currently handcuffed to the driver's side mirror of my car in the worst part of Stark Street. This predicament is courtesy of my latest skip, Rolando Edwards. I had approached him as he was coming out of his apartment building and before I could even blink, he had me cuffed to my own damn car and was strolling down the street. My keys were in my pocket, but the punk had handcuffed my right hand and since I can't turn into a pretzel at will, it didn't look like I was going anywhere anytime soon.

I had managed to open the car door and sit down with my arm hanging over the door. I had no idea how long I had been here. Maybe an hour? So far, everyone on Stark Street was doing a very good job of ignoring the white girl handcuffed to her car. Since I had nothing better to do, I sat there and thought about the disaster that is Stephanie Plum's life. A) I'm broke with a POS car, B) I had to be the most pitiful excuse of a bounty hunter in history, C) Dinner with my family last night consisted of my mother chanting repeatedly that I need to settle down, get married, quit working and have a bunch of babies. In other words, I need to do everything I don't want to do. D) I have two men in my life and I don't know what to do with either of them. My on-again/off-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli (the one my mother insists I should settle down with) and I broke up a few weeks ago, the night after the Bluttovitch/Hobbit/kidnapping thing when he showed up expecting me to model some underwear for him. I haven't had the heart to tell my mother that this off-again phase is likely permanent. I just can't do it anymore. Joe's a good guy and a good cop, but we don't want the same things out of life and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

E) The second man I'm in love with, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, a.k.a. Ranger, a.k.a. Cuban Sex God, has been "in the wind" for three weeks. I missed him terribly. The last time I talked to him, he told me that I "owed him." I do owe Ranger, though we probably have a different idea of what the debt is. Ranger would say I owe him for putting the brakes on at the last minute when we were getting very friendly. I would say I owe him because quite simply, he gives me anything and everything I could ever ask for. The one exception being a relationship. He gives me cars when mine blow up, a job when I need money and more support than I probably deserve. Ranger is my mentor, my friend and for one amazing night, my lover. He is also my personal savior. Saving me from others and myself on a frighteningly regular basis.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts before I could make my mental list any longer. I looked around in time to see 6 guys with blue bandanas in baggy clothes walking towards me. They were all tattooed and Hispanic, with varying degrees of menace showing on their faces. Menace was actually too mild a word for these guys, they looked scary as hell. I stood up and watched them approach.

As they walked toward me, I bowed my head, praying for the power of invisibility. Hey, it might work! Unfortunately, when I raised my head, 6 pairs of unfriendly eyes were trained on me. Damn! How am I going to talk my way out of this one?

All of the guys appeared to be around 25 or younger. What looked like the oldest stepped up to me and ran a hand down my face onto my arm. "Hola, chica. Did someone leave you here as a present to us?" The asshole had an arrogant smirk on his face. "Look, she even comes with her own handcuffs." The guys started laughing and I started trembling. I opened my mouth to say something, when I noticed someone else walking towards us. He stepped up beside me without looking directly at me. This man was dressed similarly to the others, but had a ball cap pulled low over his eyes. He took the cap off, giving me and my would-be attackers a clear view of his face and the two teardrop tattoos falling from his right eye. Hector! Thank God, I was saved! Hector is a Rangeman I don't know very well, but a Rangeman nonetheless. Ranger's men would never let anyone hurt me.

The gangsters in front of me had a completely different reaction to seeing Hector. They immediately took a few steps back and lost the smirks and menacing looks. The one who had spoken to me, took a brave step forward and shrugged his shoulders, starting to speak, but was cut off with a look from Hector. Hector spoke in a low voice, full of the adult version of menace the younger guys were trying to pull off, "Save it! Dumb fuckers. Don't you know who this is?" The guys looked closer at me and shook their heads. Hector continued, "She's Manoso's." I could see the guys all take another few steps back and look around as if expecting something or someone. Just then, I felt a tingle up my spine to my neck that could only mean one thing. Ranger is near. The guys were still looking around when I heard the sweetest sound in the world, "Looking for me?"

His voice was low and controlled, but anyone with a brain could tell that this was not a man to mess with. After one heartbeat, the guys scattered, running full-tilt in different directions. Ranger stepped up beside me as I slumped back down into my seat, the relief I felt making me close to tears. I looked up and Ranger and Hector and gave a whispered, "Thank you." It wasn't nearly enough, but it was all I could do at the moment. Hector smiled and unlocked my cuffs. Ranger knelt in front of me. "Babe, you ok?" I smiled. "Yeah, I'm good." He gave me an almost smile and kissed my forehead. "Babe, why don't you let Hector take your car and I'll drive you home?" I nodded and he helped me up and kept his arm around me until we got to his car. He was driving the Turbo today, my favorite. I slid down in the seat and let the smell of leather and Ranger wash over me. Like always, I immediately felt more relaxed and calm.

Ranger angled in beside me and we took off. He turned to me and raised one eyebrow. In Ranger speak, this meant, "What happened?" I decided to be brief. "Rolando Edwards. FTA on a trafficking charge. I caught him coming out of his building. I didn't even have time to speak to him. He saw me, charged, grabbed me, dragged me back to my car, cuffed me and walked off." Ranger nodded. "What about the gang?" This made me tremble a little again. Ranger reached over and took my hand. I was surprised. His affection was usually more lust-inducing than comforting. "They had only been there a few minutes before Hector got there. They seemed to think I was a present left for them." Rangers jaw tightened, but he continued to look straight ahead and asked, "They get any further than what I saw?" I shook my head. "No, you and Hector were right on time." He nodded once.

Ranger saw me into my apartment and turned to go. He stopped at the door, turned around and strode back to me. He gave me a brief and tender kiss. "Babe, breakfast tomorrow at 9:00. I'll pick you up at 8:45. I need a favor and you owe me."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters are courtesy of the amazing Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this story.

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! This next chapter is primarily a flashback of Joe/Steph. I promise the favor will be continued in the next chapter. This is my first attempt at fanfiction and I would dearly love reviews, ideas and constructive criticism. This story is firmly Babe. Though we all know that Hector only speaks Spanish, for the purpose of this story, and my limited time, it will appear as English

From _Sizzling Sixteen:_

I took a shower and was about to dry my hair when my doorbell buzzed. I wrapped myself in a bath towel, went to the door, and looked out the security peephole at Morelli.

"What?" I asked, holding the door partially open.

"Can I come in?"

"I'm not dressed."

Morelli stepped into my apartment and closed and locked the door behind him. "That's perfect," he said, "because I have something for you to wear." And he dangled a lacy pink thong from his finger. "I stopped at the mall on the way home just now. I thought you'd look pretty good in this."

Looking for Me? Chapter 2:

I stood in the middle of the floor staring after Ranger left. God knows I owe the man, but it's terrifying to wonder how he's going to collect on that debt. I mean, I know Ranger would never intentionally hurt me, but just leaving that statement lying out there has my imagination running wild. What if he wants me to help him secure a building again? Okay, I admit, not very likely, but still, it could happen. Ugh! I'll never sleep tonight.

I made a peanut butter and olive sandwich, fed Rex and sat down to check my phone messages. One from Ranger, "Hey Babe, I'm back in town, call me." Another one from Grandma, asking for a ride to a viewing and one from Joe. "Cupcake, give me a call. I heard you were seen on Stark Street today. Please tell me you didn't go down there by yourself. I've missed you, give me a call." This made me think about the last time we had talked a few weeks ago.

He showed up at my door the night after I had been kidnapped and Bluttovitch had been captured. He had stopped at the mall and bought me a pink thong that he wanted me to model for him. I let him in the door, but tried to explain

"Look, Joe, I got kidnapped today. I'm not in the mood to model underwear for you." Joe tried his killer smile, "Come on, Cupcake. The boys have missed you. It's been too long."

Sighing, "Joe, I know it's been a long time, but we're on a break. We're not supposed to be having sex. Besides that, I was _kidnapped_ today. I'm not in the mood for "your boys" right now and I think it's really insensitive that you only came over for sex."

Joe sighed and sank down into the couch. "Look, I know you had a tough day. Don't you think I had a tough day, too? I worry about you. This is just my way of making sure you're really okay, that you're really still here with me. Every time this happens, I think 'this is it, this will be the time she doesn't make it.'" I sank down beside him on the couch and put my head on his shoulder. "Joe, I know you worry and I'm sorry about that, but I'm just doing my job. I'm as careful as I can be."

Joe looked down at me and said, "Careful? When are you careful? When you go running into an unknown situation? When you're doing a job you have no training for? When you wrestle armed men in garbage or get your cars blown up? When you run around after Ranger and his men? Cupcake, you don't know the meaning of the word careful." Joe's voice had hardened when he mentioned Ranger.

I was looking at him in shock. Where had this come from? "What are you talking about, Joe? I admit I'm not the best in the business, but I've come a long way in the past few years. What is your problem with Ranger? He's my friend and always helps me when he can. I would think that would make him your friend, too."

I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. "Friend? You think he should be my friend when he's sniffing around you like a dog in heat? Cupcake, give me a break." I knew that he didn't like the way Ranger looked at me, but he had never been so vocal in his dislike for him before. I said, "You two always seem to get along well enough on cases. I didn't know that you had such a problem with him. You even asked him to watch out for me during the Dickie thing."

"That was different. That was a job. Ranger is good at his job and I know that. He does the things that a cop can't do and we all respect him for that. My problem with him is strictly about you. He has no qualms about moving in on me right under my nose. Hell, he doesn't even care if I know about him moving in. I can't figure out if he just wants you that bad or if he's just arrogant enough to think I won't do anything about it out of fear." Joe looked back at me and said the words I have always dreaded, " I need some answers from you about him."

Uh-oh…what the hell is he going to ask? He knows he'll get the truth because I'm a terrible liar.

Joe put his head down and seemed to be gathering his strength. Finally he said, "Look, I've never asked these questions before because I didn't really want to know the answers. I can't delude myself anymore though." He looked me in the eyes and asked the biggie: "Have you ever had sex with him?"

Shit! I don't want to answer this. Even though things have been crap with Joe and I, I don't want to hurt him. He is right though, he deserves the truth. "Yes." I wasn't going to give any more detail than necessary. Joe closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "When we were together?"

"No, Joe. We were on a break. It only happened one time." Joe closed his eyes again. "When?" I took a deep breath. This was going to sound worse that it actually was. "Abruzzi." Joe's eyes were open in a flash. "What? Are you telling me that he took care of that problem as payback? Or was it a deal you two made?"

Now I was shocked and we damn sure weren't going to have a conversation about deals. He didn't need that much detail. "What are you talking about? Assuming that Ranger was involved in "that problem," it needed to be done. Abruzzi wouldn't have stopped. I don't think we should talk anymore about that situation. It could lead to bad places for everyone."

Joe seemed to agree with that. I thought the worst was over, but then he asked the million-dollar question. "Are you in love with him?" I could feel tears pooling in my eyes. I couldn't speak, so I just nodded my head, not able to look at him. We sat there in silence for a while. I could feel the tension rolling off of Joe, but we didn't break the silence for several moments. Finally, he said, "So this is why you won't marry me and settle down. You're in love with him?"

I tried to explain, "Joe, Ranger may be part of it, but the bigger part is that I just truly don't want to be a housewife or a mother yet. I don't know if I'll ever want that. I know you hate my job, but it allows me a level of independence that I wouldn't have as a housewife. I just don't think I'll ever be happy knowing that my only life is inside of a house, where I cook and clean and take care of babies. I just don't want that. I need more."

Joe thought for a moment and then said, "Do you think Ranger can give you more?" God how I hated hurting him. As angry as we may make each other, Joe is a good man and doesn't deserve this hurt. "Joe, Ranger isn't interested in giving me anything other than friendship and the occasional roll in the hay. He doesn't do relationships. I don't think that will change, either."

Joe looked a little surprised. "Cupcake, as much as it pains me to say this, I think you're wrong. He used to look at you like he just wanted sex, but it's changed. Now he looks at you like I do. He loves you, too. Whether he admits it or not."

I did not want to continue this conversation. It would only end with Joe getting more hurt and me wanting even more things that I can't have. "Joe, it really doesn't matter. It's not going to happen. I'm sorry if I've hurt you with all of this. That was never my intention. I do love you. We just want very different things." Joe smiled a sad smile and said, "I love you, too, Cupcake. Friends?" I smiled and nodded. "I can't imagine you not being in my life." Joe hugged me and said, "Me neither, Cupcake." We sat together for a while, but we both acknowledged that this was the end.

End flashback….

I lay in bed, thinking about that last night with Joe. Even though it hurt, I was proud of us for being such adults about the end of our relationship. I was proud of myself for finally acknowledging to him that I couldn't give him what he wanted. Most of all, I had finally admitted to someone other than myself that I didn't want marriage and children. I could see myself wanting those things in the distant future, but who knew if that future would ever get here?

I woke up and got ready for my breakfast with Ranger. At about 8:00, I called Grandma and told her I would take her to the viewing tonight. I will never understand her passion for funeral homes, but it makes her happy, so I'm happy. I figured Joe would be at his desk and called him back. "Hey Cupcake, you okay?" I smiled; he was a lot better about my little issues when we weren't dating. "Yeah, I'm fine. No lasting damage."

He chuckled, "Good. I've got to go, but be careful." We hung up and I sat down to wait on Ranger. At precisely 8:45, there was a knock at my door. I looked out the peephole and there he was. I opened the door and started at him for a minute, completely confused. He raised an eyebrow and gave the standard, "Babe?" I stood there for a moment and then said, "I'm just enjoying the moment." He raised an eyebrow and I explained, "You knocked. That may never happen again."

He gave me an almost smile and a "smartass" before leading me to his car. We drove to the diner where we first met and I was very nervous. I just couldn't imagine what favor he would ask of me. We sat in a booth and ordered our food. He looked up at me and I saw a hint of concern in his eyes. "Something wrong, babe?"

I looked down and said, "Well, I'm just a little nervous about what you need from me." He was wearing his usual blank face and asked, "Why?" I could only say, "Well, you may no know this, but you tend to be just a tad bit cryptic." I got another almost smile and then he waited a moment before saying, "Babe, you know I would never force you to do something you don't want, right?" I had to smile then. He was right. For such a badass, he was more concerned about my feelings than most people. "I know, Ranger. So, what's the big favor?"

Our food came then and he gave me a moment to get my coffee ready and slather butter on top of everything before continuing. He watched my process with interest. When I finished I looked up and said, "So, what about the favor?"

"Babe, I need you to go away with me this weekend."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters are courtesy of the amazing Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this story.

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! This chapter is the favor. This story is firmly Babe. Though we all know that Hector only speaks Spanish, for the purpose of this story, and my limited time, it will appear as English.

Looking for me? Chapter 3

_Previously:_

"_Babe, I need you to go away with me this weekend." _

All I could do was sit there with my mouth open and stare at him. Go away with Ranger? For a weekend? Alone? Him and me? Alone? Together? Us? Did I hear him right? Am I having hallucinations? Alone?

"Babe, you still with me?" Ranger asked. I forced myself out of my stupor and said, "Um, why?" Ranger gave me an almost smile. "There's a high-bond skip that's supposed to be in Atlantic City this weekend. Hector overheard on a wiretap that he should be in a particular bar on Friday night. If we're able to get him then, I though you and I could take the rest of the weekend as a mini-vacation."

Okay, another stupor. I thought only kissing him caused my brain to fog up. This is ridiculous. Man-up Stephanie, I thought to myself. "You want to take a vacation with me?" Ranger gave me a slight nod. "Why?" I asked baldly.

Ranger gave me a raised eyebrow and said, "Can't two friends go away with each other for the weekend?"

"Of course, I was just surprised," I managed. In my head, I was thinking, Friends? Ranger is my best friend, but it's not like we do each other's nails or hang out at the beach together.

He looked at me for a moment and said, "Morelli?"

I shook my head. "No, we're done. Actually, I think you would be surprised. There wasn't a loud Italian yelling match, nothing thrown, nobody was arrested. It was very adult." What can I say? I'm still proud of myself for that one.

I got the blank face in return. "When did this happen?"

"The night after Bluttovitch was arrested. We had been off for a while, but that night we both decided it was permanent." I really didn't want to give him any more details and luckily he didn't ask. "So, about that vacation…."

"Babe, I just got back from a tough job. I could use a break and thought you could, too. The job in Atlantic City makes it easy to stay for a few more days." I was surprised and oddly touched. The fact that he paid enough attention to me to know I needed a break almost brought tears to my eyes.

"Ranger, I haven't had a weekend away in years. Thank you." He reached his hand up like he was going to touch me, but at that moment his phone rang.

"Yo. Be there in ten. Sorry, Babe, I've got to run. Finish your breakfast and I'll have Hector pick you up. I was going to have him bring you the FTA file anyway." He stood up and gave me a quick kiss on the mouth and was gone before I could even turn around to watch him walk away.

I sat there in shock. Ranger had asked me to go away with him for the weekend. _Ranger _had asked me to go away with him for the weekend. What does this mean? Maybe it really is just what he said. He needs a break and thought I might enjoy a break, too. I had been sitting there musing for a few minutes and looked up to see Hector sitting across from me. I flinched a little bit and he grinned and said, "Bang, Bang" and let out a loud laugh. I'll never live down shooting that damn remote!

Hector handed me a file and sat there while I reviewed it. We got up to leave, got in a black Rangeman Bronco and Hector handed me something. I looked down and it was a black American Express Card. It had Ranger's name on it with mine listed as "authorized user." I looked at Hector and said, "What's this?" Hector; who speaks very limited English said, "Shopping, mall, now."

What the hell? He's giving me a card? Why? What the hell? I looked up at Hector and said, "Why?" Hector just shrugged and started driving. I took out my cell phone and called Ranger. He answered and said, "Babe, just use the card. You're working at least for the first part of the weekend. The FTA likes sexy, not slutty. Low-cut, not too short. Lots of cleavage. Deep blue. Very high heels. Don't forget lots of cleavage" and he hung up. He hung up on me! I looked up at Hector, who was taking in my dumbfounded face and silently laughing.

I hate it when he hangs up on me! I immediately hit redial and he picked up after the first ring. "You hung up on me! I'm not using your card!" Ranger paused for a fraction of a second and said, "Use the card or I'll have your grandma go shopping for you." I was speechless. Would he really do that to me? "Damn straight, I'd do that, Babe. She'd probably pick up something leather from Pleasure Treasures." He hung up again. I looked up at Hector and he said, "Bang, Bang," laughing full on.

We drove to the mall and Hector parked at the Macy's entrance and followed me in. He led the way to the Better Dresses section and started looking around. Hector shopped? We are going to get along just fine. I began looking, but at first didn't see anything more than prom-like dresses. I was looking at a light blue halter dress when Hector walked up with his arms full of dresses. He picked them up one by one to show them to me and then said, "Try" and turned me towards the dressing room. He walked in with me and placed the dresses on the wall mount and walked out, sitting in the husband chair. It certainly was a day for being dumbfounded. I stood in the door of the dressing room and looked at Hector. He looked back and finally smiled and said, "Go, try, now." Language barrier or not, he sounded so much like Ranger and the other Merry Men that I had to smile.

I shut the door and began looking through the dresses Hector had chosen. He certainly does have good taste. There was a beautiful black dress and a sinful red one, but Ranger had said blue. When I got to the last dress, my heart skipped a beat. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. It was azure blue, with a deep v-neck and a low back. Looking at it on the hanger, it would probably hit me about two inches above the knee. I checked the size and crossed my fingers that it would fit. I slipped it over my head and looked in the mirror. The dress had a built-in bra, so it gave me the most beautiful cleavage I've ever had in my life. In the center of the chest, it had a triangle of silver, with a slightly darker blue stone in the center. The dress did indeed hit just above my knees and somehow it made me feel special. Let's face it, I spend most of my time in jeans and t-shirts and boots. I never felt like a girl anymore, especially not a pretty girl.

I opened the door and waited for Hector to notice me. I was not disappointed. Hector had been scanning the area when his eyes flew back to me and widened. He stood up and twirled his finger for me to turn around. I did so and he put his hands on my shoulders and said, "Stephanie, beautiful. Boss like." I looked up at him and said, "You really think Ranger will like it?" He nodded and smiled, kissed me on the cheek and said, "You change, find shoes."

Hector, who was turning into the best shopping partner ever, found the perfect pair of silver FMP's within two minutes of entering the show section. They had 4 inch, spiky heels and made my legs look much longer than they actually were. Hector drove me back to my place, carried the bags up and swept the apartment for homicidal maniacs and incendiary devices and was gone before I could thank him for his help.

I sat down on the sofa and thought about the weekend. It was only Wednesday and we would leave Friday morning, so I had lots of time to work myself into a frenzy of nerves and lust.

_The trip will begin in the next chapter. What would you like to see happen? I now know what authors mean when they say they are frustrated by the amount of hits and alerts to their story, but the relatively small number of reviews. For the love of Ranger people, leave a review! _


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All characters are courtesy of the amazing Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this story.

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! This chapter is a good bit longer, but for some reason I had trouble writing it. I wanted to show Stephanie's unspoken feelings about Ranger and how others' view their relationship. I hope I was successful. _Previously:_ _I sat down on the sofa and thought about the weekend. It was only Wednesday and we would leave Friday morning, so I had lots of time to work myself into a frenzy of nerves and lust._ Looking for Me? Chapter 4

I sat there thinking about this weekend. A whole weekend with Ranger. A whole weekend with Ranger touching me, talking to me, being with me. I've known Ranger for a few years now, but we've never spent a long uninterrupted period of time together. What if we don't have anything to talk about? What if he doesn't talk at all? What if, after a day, we decide we can't stand each other?

Right then and there I told myself to "man-up" again and try to enjoy this weekend no matter what happens. I can't sit here and think of all the things that could go wrong. Which means I can't sit here at all. I have to get moving and get my mind on something else.

I drove by the bonds office to see if I had any new skips. Connie and Lula were sitting in the office, both doing their nails when I walked in. They both looked up and noticed the lack of food in my hands and went back to their nails. "Hey, any new skips today?"

Connie capped her polish, OPI Hong Kong Sunrise today, and handed me two folders. Mooner and Dougie. Well, at least I knew I had some easy money today.

"Lula, you want to ride with me today?" Lula said, "No, girl, I gotta stay here. This new diet has my stomach in knots and I don't want to be anywhere near that cop shop when I feel this way. But I wanted to talk to you about this weekend. I'm having a Passion Party Saturday night and you better be there."

Crap, I don't want to tell her what I'm really doing. I tried for vague. "Lula, I'm sorry, but I've already got plans for Saturday." I don't know why I bothered trying to be vague. Lula instantly hit the screech that could be heard a mile away. "What the hell do you mean you've got plans? What plans could be important enough to miss my party? Hell, the only excuse I can think of is getting some…wait a minute, hold the phone, back the truck up! Do you have a date? It's not Morelli, is it?"

Shit, my face was turning ten shades of red. I don't want Connie and Lula to know about my plans for this weekend. I tried to think of something to say, "Um, I, um…" about my third "um" I felt a familiar tingle up my neck and then a warm hand settled there. "Hi, Ranger."

"Babe, ladies." He turned to me then and said, "Did Hector help you get set for this weekend?" I was surprised that he mentioned this weekend in front of Connie and Lula. Both of them were looking back and forth between Ranger and I like they were watching a tennis match. "Yep, all set. Hector deserves a shopping medal." He gave me a slight nod, a kiss in my hair and was gone.

I hated to see him leave so soon because I knew I was about to face the Burg equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition. As soon as Ranger's car was gone, Lula shouted, "You're spending the weekend with Batman? Holy Shit! You are one lucky girl! Damn, what I wouldn't give to…" About that time, Connie started in, "What are his plans? What does this mean? Are you dating _Ranger_?"

See, this is why I didn't want to tell them. I don't even know what's going on myself and they'll have us married by close of business today. "Look, we're going to get an FTA and spending the rest of the weekend in Atlantic City. It's really just a friend thing."

Connie and Lula looked at me like I had grown a second head. "Friends," they said in unison. Connie took over, "Steph, I know you don't like to discuss your personal life, but it's obvious to everyone that you and Ranger are hot for each other. It's more than that, though. We see the way you look at each other. You never looked at Morelli that way, and it's not just you. Ranger looks at you with an intensity I've never seen before. He's an intense man anyway, especially when he's on a mission." She gave me a bold look and continued, "You, girlfriend, have been his mission for a while, you just weren't ready to see it yet."

Holy crap! Could Connie be right? Could Ranger really want more than a little fun? I couldn't even contemplate that right now. I'm in love with Ranger, but it's a love that I never really thought would go anywhere beyond stolen kisses and innuendo. Of course I wanted more from him, but I just never thought that would happen. Ranger doesn't do relationships. But if he did… No, I told myself. Don't go there, you'll only end up heartbroken. Since I have admitted to myself that I love Ranger, I have never let myself consider the possibility that one day we might have more of a relationship. He has made his position on that clear and I have to respect that. Respect is the only feeling I have for Ranger that has never caused confusion. No matter if you loved or hated the man, you always showed him respect. He had more than earned it.

I turned my attention back to Connie and Lula and said, "Look, I don't know what's going on with this weekend, but I'd rather it stay private. Please don't blab about this all over the place." They looked a little peeved, but nodded their consent. Figuring it couldn't get any better than that, I grabbed my files and left. I spent the afternoon watching a _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ marathon and inhaling second-hand smoke with Mooner and Dougie. They had great snacks, though. By the time I drove them back home after getting them rebonded, it was time to go to my parent's house for dinner.

I pulled up at the curb and saw mom and grandma waiting at the door. "Hi Mom, Grandma." Mom asked, "Is Joseph coming for dinner?" I sighed and knew it was time to tell her the truth. "No, Mom, he's not coming for dinner. We've broken up and it's permanent this time." Mom looked shocked, I have no idea why since Joe and I spent at least half of our time together in the off again phase.

"Stephanie, why do you think this time is permanent? Maybe you just both needed a little break. After all, you've known each other your whole lives." Mom looked like she was hanging onto that hope with a thread. My eye twitched a little bit.

"Mom, Joe and I talked and we both agreed that it's for the best that we don't see each other anymore. We're friends and I hope we always will be, but we just don't want the same things. It's okay, really. I'm more okay with it than I thought I would be. Joe seems fine, too." Please, mom, don't go on and on about this, I prayed silently.

Mom looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "Well, I'm glad you're not too upset over the breakup, but Stephanie, don't you want to get married again and have children? That's why I always pushed you to make things work with Joe. You're not getting any younger." I rolled my eyes and said, "Gee, thanks Mom. I know I'm not getting any younger, but I don't know if I ever want to get married again, much less have children. All I can say for certain is that I don't want either of those things right now."

Mom stared at me with her mouth slightly open. After a few minutes she finally said, "Stephanie, that's the most adult thing I've ever heard you say about yourself. Usually you just say that you don't know what you want or you just let everyone think what they want to think. I'm proud of you for figuring out what you want, even if it's not what I would have chosen for you. Now, help me set the table or dinner will get cold." With that she turned around and walked into the kitchen, leaving grandma and I staring after her. Grandma and I looked at each other and together said, "Damn!" and went to go eat.

After dinner, I went home and went straight to bed. It had been a roller coaster of a day. The conversations with Ranger and my mother and Connie and Lula had been almost surreal. I fell asleep quickly and dreamed of Ranger and I rolling dice at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. He brought the dice to my lips for me to kiss them and my lips lingered on his fingers for a fraction too long. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into his body and kissed me long and hard, his tongue moving slowly against mine. His hand was at the small of my back, keeping me flat against him. The hand holding the die was curled into my cheek, caressing me slowly. I woke up struggling to breathe and found that my body was in a real state, I could almost feel him against me, his whole body hard and ready, his mouth firm and demanding against mine, his tongue, smooth and hot in my mouth. Damn it! A woman could die from this! No man had ever made me feel this way without even actually touching me.

I could remember everything from our night together. The way his weight felt on top of me, how his mouth moved over my body and the size of him inside of me. Let's just say that nothing about Ranger is average. I mean, if sex were a class, Ranger would be in the gifted section, with a full scholarship and top honors. We're talking Valedictorian here.

Our one night together, I had been so terrified that although I enjoyed it immensely, I didn't let myself feel as much as I would have otherwise. Ranger was intense and I could feel his intensity pulling at me all the time, but especially that night. When we were together, he was so totally concentrated on me that I felt like I was the only thing in his universe.

I'm more comfortable with him now than I was then. He still scares me at times, not physically, just his presence. No one has presence like Ranger. It's scary to look at him and realize that he probably knows everything I am thinking and feeling. It's a level of intimacy I've never had with anyone before.

It was daylight by this time and I decided I might as well get up. I took a long hot shower, trying to rid my body of residual Ranger hormones, cough, cough shower massager, did my hair and make-up and headed for the bonds office. I stopped off at the Tasty Pastry and picked up some much needed sugar.

Lula met me at the door, "Girl, I hope you got some jelly donuts in there!" I handed her the box and she sat down to help herself. Connie said, "Steph, there aren't any new files, but you still need to get Rolando Edwards. His bond forfeits today." I must have looked a little green around the gills because she added, "Maybe you should get Ranger to help you with this one. Did you have some trouble?" I didn't want to get into the whole story about the handcuffs and the gang, so I just nodded. Lula said she was up for coming with me and I didn't really want to call Ranger since he had just rescued me again the other day.

Lula and I headed towards Stark Street. "Look, Lula, this guy got away from me pretty easy the other day. I just didn't want to come down here by myself. You can wait in the car if you want." Lula looked at me and said, "Girl, you know I got your back. I'll go in with you. I know you ain't got no gun either, but I'm always packing." I smiled at my friend, "Thanks, Lula."

We pulled up at Rolando's apartment building and I took a deep breath and looked around, trying to be more aware of my surroundings. Lula and I stepped from the car and started walking toward the building. Once again, Rolando came out the front door and started walking towards me. I nodded at Lula, who pulled her stun gun from her purse. Before we could move, Rolando shoved Lula to the ground, knocked my stun gun out of my hand and started dragging me towards the car. "Bitch, you should've got the message the first time. Maybe I need to be more clear." With that, he took me by my hair and shoved me against the car. I was trying to turn around to get a hit in when I heard yelling and he was lifted off of me. I turned around to see the gang members from the other day beating the crap out of Rolando. One landed a punch to his temple that knocked him out cold. It was the older guy, the one who had been doing all the talking the other day. He turned to me and said, "Where you want him?" I didn't understand. They were helping me? "Um, just let me cuff him and if you could put him in the back seat, that would be great."

He smiled, "Of course, chica." I cuffed him and put leg shackles on him and two of the guys put him in the back seat. Lula had wandered up at this point and was watching the action. The leader turned towards me again, "Chica, we are sorry for the other day. We didn't know who you were. If you have job on Stark Street again, you call us and we help. We don't want any trouble from Hector and we damn sure don't want any trouble from Manoso. If you could tell them that we help you, it might be enough to keep them off us." I swallowed. "Keep them off you? What do you mean?" They looked at each other as if trying to decide how much to say. "Chica, you seem like a nice girl, so I don't want to get into this with you too much, but the only reason we aren't all dead is because Manoso and Hector didn't want you to witness it. They sent a clear message and we respect that. We will not harm what belongs to Manoso. And you will have our protection while you are in our territory. Please tell him that."

"Okay," I stuttered and they walked off. They stood and watched while Lula and I got in the car and drove off. Lula waited about two beats before saying, "What the hell was that? What were they talking about? You belong to Ranger? What the hell happened the other day?" She was breathing a little heavy and I could tell she was as freaked out by the encounter as I was.

I tried to explain briefly, "I had some trouble the other day when I tried to pick up Edwards. Ranger and Hector showed up and took care of it." Lula said, "How exactly did they take care of it?" I shrugged, "Really, them showing up was enough. The guys took off running after that." Lula thought for a moment and then said, "They didn't say anything to the guys?"

I thought back and said, "Well, Hector talked to them, but he was speaking Spanish so I don't know what he said. They looked scared though."

Lula smiled and said, "That's what I thought. They were told you belong to Ranger and their asses would be dead if they messed with you. Girl, you might as well tattoo 'Property of Batman' across your forehead!" Lula got a dreamy smile and said, "Damn, I'd trade lives with you in a minute!"

I thought about this for a minute and remembered a comment Ranger had made. "The men in my building know you're my personal property." Could Ranger really be that possessive of me? The teenage girl in me squealed in delight, but the adult woman in me thought, that freaking bastard, I don't belong to him! The two were warring against each other when Lula said, "Uh-uh Steph, I know what you're thinking and you can just stop that shit right now. Batman takes care of you and never tries to hold you back. Don't compare him to anyone or anything else. He doesn't want to own you or control you. He just wants you to be safe." Damn, when did Lula get to know Ranger so well? I asked her and she said, "Girl, all you have to do is look at that man looking at you to know what he's thinking."

I dropped Lula off at the bonds office and went on to the cop shop to drop off Edwards. I rang the bell at the back door and Big Dog and Carl came to get him out for me. Edwards was still out cold. They just looked at me and raised their eyebrows. "It wasn't my fault" I told them. They shrugged and dragged Edwards inside. Eddie was working the desk. "Hey, Steph. Man, you brought in a nasty one today. He give you any trouble?" I shook my head, "Not much." He gave me my body receipt and I went on my merry way. I was glad not to run into anybody else. Morelli and I are friends, of course, but I just wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone else right now.

I went home and ate some lunch and started thinking about what to pack for my weekend with Ranger. I had my dress Hector had picked out, but I also decided to take a little sleeveless dress and a coral dress, as well as one nice turquoise pants set, a pair of jeans and a few t-shirts and some pajamas. Sponge Bob. After I packed the pajamas I wondered if I should pack some lingerie, too. I picked a black halter-top teddy and a red flyaway baby doll. They both made me feel sexy and I'd never worn either before. They had been bought one day when I was depressed and went to the mall for Victoria's Secret therapy. I had matching shoes for everything and I wouldn't pack my make-up and hair stuff until tomorrow.

Ranger called and said that he had a takedown scheduled for tonight and an early meeting tomorrow morning. "I'd like to send Hector to pick you up at 8:00 and bring you to RangeMan. We can leave for Atlantic City when I get done with my meeting."

"Okay, Ranger, I'll see you then." Ranger paused for a moment and before he hung up said, "Babe, I'm looking forward to our weekend. Sweet dreams." I stood there for a moment staring at the phone in shock. Rangers looking forward to spending time with me? I felt myself start to smile. Maybe this weekend _will_ be the start of something more.

The next morning I got up early to get ready and finish packing. I had three cups of coffee and was getting a little jittery by the time Hector knocked on the door at 7:45. He carried my bags to the black RangeMan Tahoe and opened the passenger door for me.

He settled in beside me and turned to look at me. "Donuts?" I smiled and immediately felt less jittery. "Yes, please. The Tasty Pastry if it's not too much trouble." Hector was silent on the drive, but did come in to get the donuts with me. I was surprised at that. I was also surprised to realize that I like Hector. I didn't dislike him before, just didn't know him well enough to form an opinion. His tattoos always scared the crap out of me, but he had been very kind and helpful to me.

Hector pulled into the RangeMan garage about the time I finished my second Boston Cream. He moved the bags to the Porsche Turbo and turned to me, "Wait on 5?" I nodded and followed him. Before we got to the elevator, Hector turned to me, gave me a wolf grin and said, "Stephanie, be gentle with boss this weekend." He then went back to the Tahoe, got in and drove off. What the hell? Be gentle with Ranger? I stepped in the elevator and got off on the 5th floor and walked right into Lester. I walked into him so hard that I bounced off and landed flat on my butt a few feet away.

"Beautiful, are you okay?" he asked and helped me stand up. I looked up at him and smiled and said, "Yeah, just thought you guys were due for a 'Bombshell moment.'" Lester laughed out loud and slung an arm over my shoulder. "Beautiful, as long as you haven't been kidnapped, 'Bombshell Moments' are fine with me. You looking for the boss?"

"Yeah, but he said he had a meeting to finish, so I'll just wait for him." Lester led me into the control room and told me to have a seat. He and Cal were on monitor duty this morning. The guys tended to hate monitor duty because nothing ever happened. "Hey, Cal." Cal's flaming skull tattoo gave me a nod.

Ranger came in after about five minutes and said, "Babe, you ready?" I nodded and stood up. Ranger turned back to Lester and Cal and said, "I need you two, Hector and Manny outside the Tropicana at 8:00. Tank is speaking with their security right now to ensure we don't run into any problems." Lester and Cal nodded and Ranger led me to the garage, opened the turbo door for me and we were off to Atlantic City.

He seemed to be in his zone for a while, but once we made it out of Trenton, he turned to me and said, "So, what do you want to do this weekend?" Oh, boy!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Janet Evanovich owns The Stephanie Plum series. This effort is strictly for my entertainment and hopefully, the enjoyment of others.

Author's Note: Thank you all for your continued reviews and support! I hope to get the reviews over 100 after this chapter. This song mentioned in this chapter is "All at Once" by Bonnie Raitt. It is a sad song, but the line mentioned always makes me think of the way the right person can make everything better, even if it's just for one moment.

_Previously: He seemed to be in his zone for a while, but once we made it out of Trenton, he turned to me and said, "So, what do you want to do this weekend?" Oh, boy!_

Looking for me? Chapter 5

Oh, crap, I thought. What do I want to do this weekend? Get naked with Batman and sing "How Great Thou Art?" It is a religious experience, after all. Tell Ranger I love him and ride off into the Atlantic City sunset? Well, let's go with, "I'm open, what were you thinking?"

Ranger looked at me for a moment and said, "We can gamble or see a show. We can lie out by the pool. There's a food and wine festival going on this weekend, too." Now _that_ got my interest. "Is there anyone famous at the food and wine festival?" Ranger said, "There are chefs from _The Food Network_, but I don't know anything about them. I'm not current on television chefs. But I know that Ella said she wished she were coming to see them. We'll pick up a brochure when we get there."

"Sounds good to me. What about the skip?"

Ranger said, "I know you read through the file, but this is a very high dollar skip. If we get him, you'll receive 25% of the bond fee, which equals $25,000."

I think my heart stopped beating. I stared at Ranger with my mouth open. He reached over and shut my mouth, his thumb lingering on my bottom lip. "Ranger?"

"Yeah, Babe?"

"Did you just say my fee would be $25,000?"

"I did." He raised an eyebrow at me. "And?"

I was still in shock and not responsible for filtering my words through my brain. "I think I just had an orgasm."

Ranger's eyes got a little darker. "I had planned on that happening a little later, but whatever warms you up is good with me." He gave me a wolf-grin that shot straight through my stomach to parts south of the border.

I tried to get a better handle on things. "I didn't see any reason for that high of a bond in his file. It said it was a white-collar, non-violent criminal, though the report didn't go into detail."

"Williams hasn't been violent in the past, but he is desperate. Desperate men do stupid things. And he's not just a white collar criminal. He was working as an accountant for the largest mob family in Brooklyn. The feds want him to flip and testify. That's the reason for the high bond. They were afraid he would run and he did."

"Which family?" I just knew this wasn't going to go well.

"The Greco's." Shit! "Ranger, they're supposed to be the most ruthless family out of Sicily."

He looked at me sideways, "Babe, we're not exactly the boy scouts. We'll be fine. Don't worry. He's not part of the Family, just a numbers guy."

I tried to put it out of my head and think about what I would do with $25,000. I could buy a real car, not another POS. I could put a little back to live off of when skips weren't going well. This money could go a long way towards my peace of mind. I sat back to enjoy the ride with Ranger. His cars were always a smooth ride, with comfortable seats and a good sound system. Of course, it didn't hurt that the whole car smelled like Ranger. With traffic, it took us about two and a half hours to get the Atlantic City.

Ranger pulled into the lot at Harrah's and said, "I need you to be seen out and about today. Williams is jumpy and if he sees you before tonight, it'll make him a little more comfortable. He's staying at the Tropicana, and he's usually in the casino all day. Just play the slots a little and make sure he notices you."

"No problem. Should I dress up?" Ranger thought for a moment and said, "No, that way he'll know you're looking for action tonight. It should make the distraction go faster. We don't need to be seen together until after the job, so I'm going to take care of some things while you check in and get settled. I'll be around the casino in about 2 hours. You won't see me, but I'll keep an eye on you. I'll meet you in your room at 7:00. We need to be ready to roll by 8:30."

"Okay. You said you wanted me to check in? The room is in my name?"

"In your name and paid for, Babe." He gave me a lingering kiss on the lips. A bellman opened the door and collected my bags.

I checked in and followed the bellman to the elevator. I noticed he hit the top button, but didn't think much about it. We stepped off the elevator and made our way to the room. When he opened the door, I felt my heart hit the floor. It was the freaking honeymoon suite! It was huge! I followed the bellman through the living room area, into the bedroom and a bathroom that was bigger than my apartment. The bed was a king size with cream linens that looked softer than even Ranger's sheets. In the bathroom there was a vanity that was at least 8 feet long with two sinks and fresh flowers, a 50-person shower with multiple showerheads and a Jacuzzi.

I tipped the bellman and turned around to survey my weekend palace. I couldn't believe that Ranger had gotten this room. It was absolutely beautiful and I hoped it meant that he wanted more than sex from this weekend. The sex was a given. I wanted it, too. I just ached for more of a connection with Ranger.

There was a nice stereo system in the living room, so I turned it on to put my things away and get ready to go back out to the casino. As I walked back into the bedroom, I noticed flowers with a card on the dresser. They were purple, red and yellow tulips. My favorite flowers. I opened the card, unsure of what to expect. It read simply, "Babe." I had to smile. Neither of us are good at talking about our feelings. That can't be changed overnight and frankly, we wouldn't be us if we fell into each others arms and spouted corny lines about undying love and forever. I don't expect that and I wouldn't know what to do with it if I got it.

I sighed and turned to put my clothes and make-up away. The song on the radio caught my attention as I was moving around. I didn't recognize the song at first, but I knew it was an older Bonnie Raitt song. It was a sad song about a woman's problems in life. But it was the chorus that caught my attention and made me a little dizzy:

"_All at once I hear your voice and time just slips away. Nothing they can say can hold me here. Take me where I only feel the wind across my face. Let me know there's someplace left for me, waiting there for me." _

It was the way I felt about Ranger. When I heard his voice or felt the tingle up my neck that meant he was near, I knew that there was someplace for me. He was always there for me. Without question and without expectations for some sort of payback, he was there. Always. The thought that we might finally be ready to take the next step made me feel joy and pain at the same time. Joy because of how much I loved and wanted him, but pain at the thought that we might somehow screw up the friendship that we have. By our own admission, neither of us are very good at relationships, or communication for that matter. But I couldn't help but think that the mere fact that we would never try to change one another would help. I know who Ranger is and I love him without exception. There are things that I don't know about him, but as long as he was faithful and honest, I could live with that.

Damn, I had been standing there ruminating over a relationship that might not even be in the cards. I have got to slow down or I'm going to give us both whiplash! I got myself cleaned up and new make-up applied. I put on a pair of jeans, cute lavender button up shirt and some sandals. I walked down the boardwalk to the Tropicana and walked into the casino. I had forgotten just how Jersey casinos are. They're big and loud, with lots of lights and color. Also, the drag queens, it wouldn't be a casino or Jersey without drag queens.

I walked around for a while, trying to decide what I wanted to do. I decided to play the nickel slots. I didn't have a lot of money to waste on gambling, but slots would allow me to sit and be seen for a while. I thought I caught a glimpse of Williams at the Roulette table, but I wasn't positive. The FTA file said that Williams was 6'0, about 200 pounds, with sandy blonde hair, green eyes and a medium tan. His picture looked sort of like the 45 year old version of the hometown quarterback. I stood up and walked around a little more well within his vision. I felt a prickle on my neck and knew Ranger was nearby.

About 3:00 I decided I'd had enough of being seen, so I went back up the boardwalk, had a quick lunch at a little deli and went back to my room and lay down to take a nap.

When I woke up I felt a warm, hard body behind me. Ranger had his arm around me and it felt like his face was buried in my hair. I snuggled back into him, inadvertently rubbing my butt against his crotch. He was instantly awake. "Babe, keep it up and I'll leave Hector to do the distraction tonight."

I had one moment of confusion before I burst into laughter. "I guess that means I need to get up, huh?" Ranger released me and I went to the bathroom to take care of business. I took a look at the clock when I came out and was shocked to see I had slept until 7:00. I had to get ready for the distraction! I told Ranger I was going to get ready, grabbed everything I would need and headed into the bathroom.

I quickly stepped into the shower and within two minutes was close to moaning out loud. The shower had 6 heads, all strategically placed to provide maximum shower pleasure. I had to force myself to pay attention. I had already shaved this morning. In anticipation of a weekend with Ranger, I had shaved _everything_. I wasn't sure how Ranger would feel about that. I'd only done it once before and I had loved the way it made me feel, sort of like I had a sexy secret.

I got out, dried off and lotioned up. I put one of the hotel's thick white robes on to get started. I put my hair up in a clip and worked on my make-up. I did smoky eyes with dark blue and silver eye shadow with a little shimmer. Dark brown eyeliner and black mascara finished the eyes. I put a little warm pink blush on my cheeks and a warm rose on my lips. I decided to put my hair up because it would show off the neck of the dress better. I slipped into my black lace thong, spritzed on some Dolce Vita and put on the dress and shoes. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror in the bathroom. I looked like a million bucks and I felt like going to the bedroom to get a feel of Ranger.

I stepped out of the bathroom and immediately saw Ranger straightening a tie in front of the dresser mirror. He turned when he heard me and his eyes widened a fraction and his lips parted slightly and I got the full wolf-grin.

"Babe, if I could give a definition of 'sexy,' it would be you, right now."

He walked over to me, put a hand on either side of my neck and tilted my face up to his. He ran his tongue over my bottom lip until my mouth opened and his tongue slipped inside. It was a soft, luxurious kiss until I stepped into him further. When I felt his body against me and he felt mine, we gave each other permission to let go of our control. He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me flush against him. My hands traveled up his strong arms, down his back, feeling the tense muscles underneath.

Ranger broke the kiss and I was surprised to see that his breathing was a little shallow. "I would like to continue this, but we've got a job to do." I nodded, "I know." He kissed my forehead and took my hand in his, "Babe, you look absolutely stunning. If the skip gets too friendly, I may have to shoot him." I smiled, knowing Ranger was trying to relieve some of the tension left over from that kiss.

Ranger held my hand the entire way to the car. After he opened my door and got in himself, I finally thought to ask why he wasn't wearing SWAT gear. He turned to me and said, "I thought if the distraction went well, we could go out dancing afterwards."

Dancing! I haven't been dancing in years. Joe didn't like to dance and I really hadn't dated anyone besides him other than a few first dates when I first got divorced. "I'd like to go dancing, but you have to feed me first." Ranger gave me an almost smile and said, "Already got the reservations, Babe." I smiled at him, but inside I was doing a happy dance. Reservations? I'd never had anyone make reservations for me before. God, I hope it's not some weird health food place. Surely they don't have those in Atlantic City? I mean if you're going to go to the trouble of getting drunk and gambling away all your money, you should at least get a decent meal out of it, right? "Um, Ranger, what kind of food…" He cut me off and said, "Don't worry, no twigs and bark. It's not a temple day. The reservation is for an Italian restaurant. Although, it wouldn't kill you to eat a little healthier." Asshole. Always had to have the last word. "I heard that," Ranger said with his eyes crinkled.

We pulled up at the Tropicana and Ranger turned in his seat toward me. I knew what that meant. "This is a pretty big place, so Lester, Hector, Manny and Cal will be inside, circulating. Williams has a room upstairs. I'll be in the room waiting and Tank will be hidden in the hallway. There's a panic button in your purse if things get out of hand. We need to get him in his room if at all possible. Security was concerned we would cause too much of a scene. Now, we need to get you wired." He kept his eyes on mine while he slid the wire into my dress just under my right breast. His thumb caressed the underside of my breast, making me have to fight to keep from moaning. He pulled his hand out and caressed my cheek lightly. "Go get him tiger."

I sashayed my way into the bar at the Tropicana and looked around for my target. I saw him sitting alone in a booth and sat down at a table nearby. I sat so that Williams could see my face and I would have a good view of the rest of the bar. I could see Lester and Manny playing pool. Cal was sitting at the bar and I hadn't seen Hector yet.

A waiter came over to take my order and asked if I was waiting for someone. "No, I'm just here looking for a drink and some company." I could see Williams head come up when I spoke. The waiter brought me my Crown and Coke and within five minutes, Williams was standing in front of me. "Is this seat taken?" he asked. "Not at all. I was hoping to find a handsome man to keep me company." I flirted.

Williams smiled and held out his hand, "I'm Brian. I saw you earlier today at the casino. I've got to say, you sure do clean up well." He gave me a lecherous smile and sat down. I forced a smile back at him, "I'm Sarah." I thought it best to let him take the lead with the conversation. "So, what's a beautiful woman like you doing sitting here all by yourself?"

I tried to look a little sad, "Well, I've been having a tough time recently and thought a weekend away would help lift my spirits. You know, meet some new people, and have some new experiences." The lecherous grin returned, "I know exactly what you mean. I've been through some problems of my own lately and I could definitely use some new experiences."

We sat and made small talk, me wishing he would just hurry the hell up. I mean, I was looking like a sure thing, so why waste all this time? His hand ended up on my knee and was steadily working its way north when he finally said, "How about we try out those new experiences together? I've got a room upstairs." I smiled a huge smile and said, "I would love to." We stood and I saw Lester catch my eye and put his pool stick down. Williams took my hand and we walked through the bar, into the lobby and stood waiting on the elevator. We stepped inside and were unfortunately the only two people there. He immediately pulled me into him and ran his hands down my back to cup my ass. "Baby, you are so hot. I can't wait to drive my cock into you." My skin was crawling and my knee was itching to tag him, but I knew I just had to hold out until we got to the room. He started licking my neck and grinding himself into my stomach and his grip on my ass was almost painful. Finally the elevator doors opened and we made our way out. He kept his arm around me the entire time.

When we got his room he opened the door, turned around and grabbed my ass with both hands and started kissing me, dragging me into the room. Two seconds later he stopped and it was immediately clear why he stopped. Ranger had a gun pointed at his head and said in a low, dark voice, "If you want to keep those hands, you'll remove them from her ass."

The hands moved immediately and the next thing I knew, Williams was thrown into the wall and handcuffed. A deep voice said, "Excuse me, Bomber," and I yelped. I turned around to see Tank, Lester, Cal and Manny standing right behind me. Tank chuckled a little and went to relieve Ranger of Williams. Tank gave him the BEA speech and they escorted him out.

Ranger and I looked at each other. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. He wasn't that bad, just a little too touchy." I slipped the transmitter out of my dress and he took my hand and we made our way back to the elevator. "You did great tonight. You got him out in record time and the apprehension went off without a hitch. Proud of you, Babe." This always made me smile. "Thanks, Ranger. So, what are we doing now?"

"Dinner and dancing if you're still up for it." Smiling, I said, "This is me you're talking to. I'm always open for food." I looked up to his face and caught him watching me with a strange expression on his face. We were standing side by side, not quite touching. His hand moved up to caress the nape of my neck lightly. He turned us so that we were facing each other. To my surprise, though, he didn't kiss me. He lowered his forehead to mine, his eyes holding mine, and continued to caress me. His hand moved from my neck to my bare arms, just lightly skimming my skin. His other hand came up to touch my back. Time stopped and at that moment, for once in my life, I decided to take what I wanted.

"Ranger?" He raised his head and continued to look at me. I took a deep breath and said,

"Let's skip the dinner and dancing."

A/N: Coming next, SMUT!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews! I know there may not be much interest in this update right now since 17 came out, but I wanted smut! This is my first smut-attempt and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you FairTaxGirl for your input and support!

_Previously:_

"_Ranger?" He raised his head and continued to look at me. I took a deep breath and said, _

"_Let's skip the dinner and dancing."_

Looking for Me? Chapter 6

Ranger blinked once. I had surprised him. But, of course, being Ranger, he recovered quickly. He raised his hands to either side of my face and leaned in to kiss me. The kiss started gently as he slowly swept his tongue into my mouth, but the second I felt his mouth on mine, I lost it. I moaned and wrapped my arms around him. He groaned and put a hand on the right side of my butt and raised my leg to fit over his hip. His mouth became more demanding and my body seemed to take over. I molded myself to his chest and rocked my pelvis into him. I started hearing sounds and I knew I was close to that Ranger-induced orgasm I had needed for so long when Ranger pulled away.

I was disoriented for a minute before I realized we were still on the freaking' elevator! I've never been very aware of my surroundings, but, damn, the man had made me forget we now had to walk through an entire lobby of people!

I looked at Ranger and he was breathing heavily and staring at me with completely black eyes. He looked me over and straightened my dress and then straightened his suit jacket and his tie. When the elevator opened into the lobby, Ranger took my hand and we walked quickly out to the parking lot, got in the Porsche and took off. We were back at Harrah's within 3 minutes.

We didn't look at each other again until we walked into our room at Harrah's. Ranger opened the door, pulled me inside, shut the door and turned to me.

He backed me against the door and said, "I know we've got a big, beautiful bed in the other room, but I'm not going to make it." I didn't have time to speak before he was on me. His mouth was everywhere; on my lips, my neck, my shoulders. His hands gripped me around my hips and raised me up against the door. My legs automatically wrapped around his waist and I could feel the evidence of his desire pressing into me. I rocked myself into him and he groaned. Whatever control he had must have been lost because he reached between us ripped off my thong and lowered his zipper. I reached down to stroke him and his mouth tightened and he closed his eyes.

"Babe…"

"Ranger, please, I need to feel you…"

He positioned me and entered me slowly. My eyes rolled back in my head at the feeling of him filling me. My body clenched around him as we started moving together.

"Jesus, Steph. My memory didn't do you justice." He started thrusting faster and I thought I would pass out from the pleasure of having him inside me again. "So hot, Babe, so wet." He started pounding into me forcefully. I knew I was close. "God, Ranger, I'm going to…." And at that moment, I shattered. I screamed and came harder than ever before. My orgasm sent Ranger over the edge and he called my name and rammed me into the door as he came inside me. He held me to him for a few moments, his head on my shoulder, both of us panting and shaking.

He raised his head and looked at me and gave me a deep, searing kiss. He picked me up in his arms and carried me into the bedroom.

"That took the edge off. Now let's get serious."

He sat me on my feet beside the bed. In one movement, his jacket, shirt, tie and undershirt and shoes were gone, leaving him only in his pants, which were lying low on his hips. "God, you look beautiful shaved. I can't wait to taste you." He began kissing me again, long, slow kisses to my mouth and lingering, open-mouth kisses to my neck. He pulled my dress off, looked down at my breasts and said, "I believe I've been neglectful in my duties here." He backed me up until the back of my legs hit the bed and I sat down.

Ranger dropped to his knees in front of me, kissed me hard and made his way down my neck and shoulders onto my chest. He stopped when he got to my breasts and laid me back on the bed. He took his hands and lightly trailed over my breasts, making circles, touching everywhere but where I needed him to touch me. I made a sound of encouragement and he leaned in to take one nipple into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue until I grabbed his head and moved him to the other nipple. He brought his hand up to gently pinch the nub he didn't have in his mouth. When I couldn't take it anymore, I touched the side of his face and he looked up at me. I can't describe the look in his eyes. Lust was a given, but there was more. Affection, trust, longing and maybe something deeper.

I put my hands on either side of his face and leaned up to kiss him. I wanted my turn to make him sweat. He allowed me to roll us so that I was on top. God, it felt good to be on top of him, to feel his body beneath me, to run my hands along his chest. We kissed again and I moved down his body to take him in my mouth. Ranger watched my every move. When I lowered my mouth to him to tease him with my tongue, he groaned and moved his hips towards me slightly so that I took him in my mouth. He made a deep, male sound of satisfaction and fisted his hands in my hair. I continued working my mouth over him, unable to take the full length of him in. When I moved my hand to wrap it around his shaft, he jerked and lifted me up by my arms to settle me on top of him. "I want to be inside you again and I won't make it if you don't stop that."

He moved his hips slightly and was inside me. I moaned and threw my head back and began to move. His hands came up to knead my breasts and tease my nipples, bringing me close to the edge. Ranger must have been close too, because he started thrusting up to meet me. One hand fisted in my hair and brought me down to him for a deep, bruising kiss. When I raised back up, he brought a finger to my clit. At the first touch, we both began to move faster and I could feel by muscles beginning to clamp down on him harder. Staring into each other's eyes, his were completely black. There was sweat running down his magnificent body and the chords in his neck were standing out. I reached out a hand to run down his cheek and he leaned into my hand. The moment was so tender, so much what I wanted that I came immediately, screaming my release and his name. Ranger was right behind me, growling my name. He grabbed me and rolled me over beside him, kissed me and wrapped me up in his arms.

We lay there, both coming down from a magnificent high. He placed kisses in my hair and I stroked his chest and stomach. I could feel him open his mouth to say something when my stomach let out an enormous roar. Ranger laughed and said, "We never did make it to dinner, Babe. Do you want to get dressed and go out?"

I thought it over and said, "No, can we just order something in?" Ranger nodded and reached for his phone. I slipped out of the bed and went to the bathroom to clean up a little. I found a short terry-cloth robe on the back of the door and slipped that on. When I came out, Ranger was in the living room, getting two bottles of water out. He walked over and gave me one and said, "Dinner on the way. Room service."

I sat down on the couch and asked what he had ordered. I was treated to a half-smile, "Don't worry, it's real food. You're going to need your strength." He sat down beside me and we turned on the television. We watched some mindless sitcom for about 20 minutes when the food arrived. Ranger went to the door and returned with a rolling cart filled with covered dishes. We went to the dining table and started putting the dishes on the table. He took the covers off and I was surprised to find he had ordered me a salad, shrimp scampi and garlic bread. To top it off, he got me dessert. I mean, real dessert. Chocolate cake, dessert! Of course, he ate chicken and vegetables.

I sat there, moaning through my meal and staring at Ranger. I was thinking that he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life. His body of course, but his lips, eyes, the color of his skin, everything about him was beautiful. He noticed my surveying him and gave a smug smile. "Babe, you're looking at me like I'm the dessert instead of that cake." I replied back teasingly, "Well, a girls got to take her chances when she can. With my luck, it might be another two years before we're here again."

Ranger looked slightly surprised and maybe a little confused at my comment and said, "Stephanie, did you think this weekend was going to be a one-time thing?" Okay, now I looked surprised and confused. I started with, "Well, ummm…."

Ranger took my hand and said, "I think we need to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: Thank you all for the continued reviews and kind words. Please keep the reviews coming, they help me focus and continue writing! This is a short, but sweet chapter. Thanks again to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best!

From Lean Mean Thirteen:

Ranger parked in front of my parent's driveway and turned to face me. "You want to be careful of what you tell me. My moral code stops short of

'Do not covet someone else's woman.' You've been holding me at arms length and I respect that, but I'll move in if I feel that barrier relax."

_Previously:_

_Ranger looked slightly surprised and maybe a little confused at my comment and said, "Stephanie, did you think this weekend was going to be a one-time thing?" Okay, now I looked surprised and confused. I started with, "Well, ummm…." _

_Ranger took my hand and said, "I think we need to talk."_

Looking for me? Chapter 7

I sat frozen. Talk? We need to talk? This can't be good. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

Ranger held my eyes for a moment before speaking. "Do you remember a conversation we had about my moral code and relaxing barriers?" I nodded. I remembered it well. It terrified me and exhilarated me at the same time.

Ranger continued, "For the past few months, I've felt that barrier relax. I'm moving in."

What? "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. I'm completely confused. I wouldn't have thought it possible for him to move in anymore than he did tonight.

Ranger looked a little uncomfortable, like he didn't want to continue. Oh, hell, no. We are so talking about this! "Ranger, just spit it out. I don't understand."

He sat up a little straighter and looked like he was taking a deep, calming breath. What is this? Ranger doesn't get nervous or take deep breaths. Ranger always has a plan. Ranger always knows what he wants and how to get it.

Finally, he looked at me again and said, "Babe, I'm not an emotional man and I'm not very sure how to do this. Sex is different. Sex is action. I'm good at action. I'm not good at talking about my feelings."

Okay, so much buried in there that I almost got distracted. First of all, "_Good_ at action?" Fucking incredible is more like it. Two thumbs up. Five stars. Touchdown!

Secondly, Ranger wanted to talk about his feelings. I've entered a parallel universe. Is there a transporter beam nearby? Is the Quantum Leap guy going to jump out at me? Oh my God, is he a vampire? Is he going to tell me that my blood calls to him? Am I part fairy? Oh, shit. I'm part fairy. That has to be it!

Ranger had been watching me during this internal dialogue and finally chuckled a little and said, "You might actually be worse at this than I am."

I blushed and he said, "Stephanie, what I'm trying to tell you is that I love you. I'm in love with you. I want us to be together. No more running away for me and no more running back to Morelli for you." He finished and looked to me waiting for a response.

I was completely shocked. I didn't even know where to begin. Yes, I did. "You love me?" He nodded. "Us being together means you want a relationship?" He nodded again. "A relationship as in…?"

Ranger raised an eyebrow and said, "As in you're mine, I'm yours and if Morelli poaches, I'll shoot him." He gave me a small smile and say, "Your turn."

I took a deep breath, raised my head to look at him and said, "Ranger, I'm more than a little shocked here. I never thought a relationship with you would be possible. Are you sure this is what you want? I would rather never have this with you than us screw it up somehow and not even be able to be friends anymore. I couldn't deal with you not being in my life in any way. I don't have a very good track record with relationships." I was getting worked up already about what could go wrong. The man of my dreams had just told me he loved me and I was close to tears thinking about losing him.

Ranger stood up, turned my chair and knelt down beside me. He put his hands on either side of my face and said, "Babe, this doesn't have to be complicated. Neither of us has to become a different person. The difference in what we've always had and a relationship to me is simple. I already loved you and saw you frequently. Now I can tell you I love you and see you more. The sex goes without saying." I smiled through my tears and sniffed a little. I started to say something, but Ranger cut me off and said, "Do you love me?" I nodded and cried harder. "Do you want to be with me?" I nodded. "Do you want anyone else? Morelli?" I shook my head. "No, Ranger, I don't want anyone but you."

He gave me the full 200-watt smile and said, "See, not complicated." He leaned in to kiss me tenderly. When we broke apart, I said, "I love you, Batman." He smiled and said, "I love you, Wonder Woman." He kissed me again and said, "You know, generally two people consummate this type of arrangement." I felt myself simultaneously blush and grow wet with desire for him. "Far be it from me to defy tradition."

Ranger carried me into the bedroom and showed me just how much he loved me. As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I couldn't believe that we were going to have a relationship. It had been a dream I never thought would come true. I'm still waiting for the transporter to beam me back to reality, but I will stay here as long as allowed. Ranger and I have the whole weekend ahead of us and for the first time in a long time, I can't wait to see what will happen next.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: Thank you all for the continued reviews and kind words. Please keep the reviews coming, they help me focus and continue writing! This chapter continues S/R's trip to Atlantic City. I've taken some creative license with the sights in AC, so please don't PM to tell me there is no such place, I already know. Thanks again to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best!

_Previously:_

_Ranger carried me into the bedroom and showed me just how much he loved me. As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I couldn't believe that we were going to have a relationship. It had been a dream I never thought would come true. I'm still waiting for the transporter to beam me back to reality, but I will stay here as long as allowed. Ranger and I have the whole weekend ahead of us and for the first time in a long time, I can't wait to see what will happen next._

Looking for Me? Chapter 8

I woke up tangled in Rangers arms. We were on our sides, facing each other. My face was turned into his neck and I could feel his steady breath on my hair. I breathed in the scent of warm Ranger and felt myself smile. This weekend was definitely turning out better than I could have ever hoped. As much as I hated to move, Mother Nature was calling and if I didn't get to the bathroom soon, I wasn't going to make it. I tried to move away, but Ranger's arms tightened and he said, "Babe, quit wiggling around or your going to get a morning surprise."

"I've got to pee, you're squeezing my bladder!" Ranger laughed and let me up. I took care of business and started the shower. I took a look at myself in the mirror while I waited for the water to heat up. My hair was looking a little crazy, but other than that, I was glowing. Screw milk, sex and commitment with Batman definitely does a body better.

I stepped in the shower, washed my hair and body and was just rinsing off when Ranger opened the door and stepped in. "You know hotels stress water preservation now." He gave me a wolf-grin and backed me up against the shower wall and gave me a bone-melting kiss. He broke the kiss and looked down at me, making my heart clench. "There's something I've been looking forward to that I didn't get to do last night." I was stuck on that one. What didn't we do last night? Ranger dropped to his knees in front of me and studied my shaved mound and looked back up, "Did you think I didn't notice you had shaved? Babe, I've dreamed of going down on you again for two years. This is beyond even my best wet dream." At that, he put my left leg over his shoulder, licked me from can to can't, and put two thick fingers inside me, pumping slowly. He sucked and flicked at my clit until I exploded, seeing bright lights behind my tightly closed eyes. If Ranger hadn't been holding me up, I would have sunk down into a puddle in the shower and gone down the drain.

He held me until I got my legs under me again and then kissed me gently. "Steph, I never thought we would get here. I can't get enough of you." His kiss turned hungry and he raised a hand to roll my nipples between his fingers, making me cry out. I went for his neck, kissing my way up to his ears. I took his ear lobe into my mouth and sucked gently. Ranger had apparently had enough because he turned around, bent me so that my hands could rest on the shower seat and entered me fully from behind. His hands were on my hips while he pounded hard inside of me. I was close again. He must have realized this because he reached a hand around to rub my clit. Within a minute I was screaming my orgasm and Ranger was right behind me. He turned me around, kissed me and rested his head against my forehead while we both caught our breath. I opened my mouth to tell him how much I loved him and my stomach growled loudly. Ranger just smiled and said, "Let's get cleaned up and go find some food."

I was putting on my make up while Ranger shaved when he said, "There's a brunch sponsored by The Food Network if you'd like to go." I was all in favor of good food, so we both went to get dressed. Me in low-rise blue jeans, a scoop-neck sleeveless blue tee and gold sandals. Ranger actually went casual in faded jeans. The ever-present black boots and black t-shirt were still there, of course, but the jeans were a nice change. He grabbed my hand and we headed down to the ballroom where the brunch was being held.

It was fairly crowded and from what I could tell, there were several different chefs set up at stations around the room. We both grabbed a cup of coffee at the entrance table and Ranger looked at me and said, "Which one would you like to try?" I looked around trying to make out the names on the signs when I saw one I definitely wanted. I pointed to Ranger and he groaned. "Even I've heard of her and I know everything she makes is full of artery-clogging fat." I looked up at him in surprise and said, "But Ranger, Paula Deen is the best! I love her accent and she always seems so nice on T.V." Ranger relented and said, "OK, we can start there, but don't expect me to eat anything at her booth." I rolled my eyes.

There were a few people ahead of us in line, but it didn't take long at all before we were standing in front of Ms. Deen. She looked up at us and smiled a great big smile and said, "Well, hey y'all! What can I get you to eat?" About that time she looked at Ranger a little more closely and reached down to grab her glasses and put them on. She motioned me closer to her and said, "Honey, is this your boyfriend?" I looked over at Ranger and knew I was blushing because he was giving me a smug little smirk. "Umm, yes, I guess he is." She looked at me for a moment and said, "Honey, you are a lucky girl. I wouldn't kick him out of bed unless he wanted to fuck on the floor." Ranger choked and spit coffee everywhere while I just started googly eyed at the chef. She grinned and said, "Don't look so surprised y'all. We have sex in the south too. How do you think I got my two boys?" She had a very loud, very hearty laugh at our expense and then began to fill a plate loaded with a sample of everything she had. "Here you go sweetheart, you'll need this to keep up your strength!" She laughed again and Ranger and I went to sit at a table since I was loaded down with food.

Ranger led me to the table and then went in search of food of his own. He returned with some banana looking dish with an omelet beside it. He looked up and said, "I went to Bobby Flay's booth. This is an egg white omelet with tomatoes, peppers and chives and a grilled plantain with honey." I looked down at my plate. I had cheese grits, biscuits with tomato gravy, thick sliced bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs with cheese. This is one thing Ranger and I would never agree on. The man didn't know how to eat for pleasure. We're in the room with the most famous chefs in the world and all he can come up with is an egg white omelet and a friggin banana?

I dug into my food and immediately felt wonderful. The biscuits and gravy were amazing and melted in my mouth. The bacon was crispy and still warm. The eggs were great, but I was eyeing the grits with a little distrust. I'd never had grits before. I took a little bite and immediately moaned and fell in love. This was the best breakfast I'd ever had in my life! I had a thought and looked to Ranger and said, "Do you think…?" Before I could get the sentence out, Ranger said, "No, we're not getting Ella one of Paula Deen's cookbooks. The guys would gain 30 pounds each and I'm going to make sure you don't have a chance to miss getting your daily sugar intake." I choked a little bit and shot a punch to his arm.

After breakfast, we spent the day walking the boardwalk and playing a little at gambling. We played the slots and Ranger showed me how to play Roulette and we watched a poker tournament for a while. I couldn't believe how much they were winning. One man was up $50,000!

It was dinnertime, so we went upstairs to change and Ranger took me to Mario Batalli's restaurant, Carnevino Italian Steakhouse. The food was incredible and Ranger even seemed to enjoy his food more than usual.

We headed back to Harrah's and Ranger asked what I would like to do next. I looked up at him and said, "I think I'd like to end the day the way we started it." His eyes darkened and he said, "Far be it from me to disappoint you."

Later that night, we lay in the bed stroking each other and talking quietly. He raised up on his elbow and told me that we would need to head back to Trenton tomorrow morning because he had a mid-afternoon meeting scheduled. I nodded, but was a little sad at having to return to reality tomorrow. Ranger seemed to know what I was thinking and said, "Our reality will be different from now on. I promise." With that he kissed me gently and we both settled in to go to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: Thank you all for the continued reviews and kind words. Please keep the reviews coming, they help me focus and continue writing! This chapter continues S/R's trip to Atlantic City. I've taken some creative license with the sights in AC, so please don't PM to tell me there is no such place, I already know. Thanks again to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best!

_Previously:_

_Later that night, we lay in the bed stroking each other and talking quietly. He raised up on his elbow and told me that we would need to head back to Trenton tomorrow morning because he had a mid-afternoon meeting scheduled. I nodded, but was a little sad at having to return to reality tomorrow. Ranger seemed to know what I was thinking and said, "Our reality will be different from now on. I promise." With that he kissed me gently and we both settled in to go to sleep._

Looking for Me? Chapter 9

Ranger and I got up early Sunday morning, had breakfast and were on our way back to Trenton by 8:00. Once we made it out of Atlantic City, Ranger took my hand and said, "Babe, there are some things I'd like to talk with you about before we get back." I automatically got nervous. Nothing good ever comes from the words, 'We need to talk.'

Ranger said, "It's nothing bad, just some things I've been thinking about for a while. Since we're now officially in a relationship, I can't put it off any longer." I raised my eyebrows at him at this statement. "I wasn't sure what your reaction would be to what I've got to say, so I've avoided it."

Okay, now I was really curious. "Ranger, just spit it out already. You're killing me here. When did you get so chatty?"

His eyes crinkled at the corners and he said, "First, I would like you to consider working for RangeMan full time. Tank and I have discussed it over the past year and we would both like to see you there, doing more than searches. You tend to put people at ease and my men and I don't. You would be a valuable asset to the company in PR and business dealings."

My mouth was open wide and I was staring at him. "Aren't you afraid I'll break your men and cause your insurance to sky rocket." Ranger just shook his head at me. "Please let me finish."

"If you decide you don't want to work for RangeMan, that's okay, too. I would be a little disappointed, but I'd get over it. It's more important to me that you are happy with what you choose to do. I'd like to work with you every day, but if you choose to stay with Vinnie, I will support that." He took a breath and continued, "This is the part that I thought you wouldn't like. I want to offer you something that is very important to me."

I was a little taken aback at the abrupt change from casual to serious. "Ranger, what is it, what do you need?" He looked at me briefly and then back at the road. "Stephanie, I want to offer you professional training. The kind of training that my men go through." Okay, I thought, I've always known that I needed training. "Ranger, that's not such a big concession on my part. If I'm going to continue being a bounty hunger, I need the training. I've always needed it, I just didn't want to ask you for anything else."

"You can always ask me for anything, Babe. The thing about the training is that I can't do it. I don't think you and I would get that much training done confined to close quarters for hours at a time. Tank and Bobby would be afraid of hurting you and Lester would be too busy flirting to teach you anything. I want your trainer to be Hector." Hector? Really? "I don't really have a problem with that as long as we can go shopping again." I laughed and Ranger seemed to relax. "I would like to know why you chose Hector, though. I thought you considered him a bit of a loose cannon?"

Ranger considered this for a moment and said, "Did you see any of my men this weekend other than at the distraction?" I thought and said, "No, I didn't see anyone."

"Hector shadowed us all weekend. I knew he was there because I told him to be there, but I never saw him and I never felt like I was being watched. I talked to him this morning while you were in the shower and he was able to give me a full accounting of everywhere we went this weekend. Hector likes you and has a healthy respect for women. He will also train you seriously. He won't let you get away with slacking off, but he will have your back in every possible situation. He also needs a partner. The other men have never warmed to him like I hoped and I like to partner people who have a genuine affection for one another. It makes the time they spend together easier on everyone." I had on my "reasonable Steph" hat so I decided that this all made sense and I would give it a try. I started to say this to Ranger and he said, "There's one more thing."

Damn, what else could there possibly be? Did he want me to sew trackers into my underwear? Sleep with my gun? Give up sweets? Shit. He wants me to give up sweets. Oh, hell, no! I am not giving up my sweets. The thought of life with a Boston Cream just wasn't worth living. Well, unless I could put the cream on his chest and lick it off. Mmmmmm, a donut and Ranger. I could slather the cream down his chest until I got to his…."

"Babe, you still with me?" He asked with that damn quirky eyebrow.

"Yep, right here. I just got a little distracted. What else did you want to talk about?"

"I'd like you to think about moving in with me." WHAT? I did not expect that. "But Ranger, we…" He again cut me off and said, "Please let me explain." I nodded and he continued, "It's not like this was our first date. We've known each other for years and we've been pushing and pulling toward and away from each other for that entire time. With our schedules, it will be really difficult to spend any real time together if we're living apart. I want us to have the time to really get to know each other and grow together. I've lived without you long enough and I don't want to go back to sleeping without you."

"I would like you to take the time to think about all of these options before you answer. If you decide not to move in with me, I won't like it. At all. But it's not a deal-breaker. I'll still love you and want you. I just want more."

I looked up and realized we were now sitting in my parking lot. Ranger kissed my hand and said, "Come on, I'll walk you up." He grabbed my bags and we went up to my apartment in the elevator. He checked my place for boogeymen, kissed me deeply and said, "Think about what we talked about. I'll see you tonight." One more kiss and he was gone.

I flopped down on the bed in my thinking position. I couldn't help but think how long it had taken us to get here. I had loved Ranger for so long and never really thought it would go any further than stolen kisses and maybe a few rolls in the hay. Now, we're in a relationship and he's asked me to move in with him. When Ranger starts something, he doesn't do it halfway.

_A/N: I would really like to hear from you all where you would like this story to go. I'm thinking it will only be 3-4 more chapters before it's completed. _


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: We all know Hector only speaks Spanish, but for the purposes of this story and my limited time, he is now bilingual. Thank you all so much for the continued reviews! They mean so much to me. Thanks to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. I added some smut just for you. You're the best, Babe!

_Previously:_

_I flopped down on the bed in my thinking position. I couldn't help but think how long it had taken us to get here. I had loved Ranger for so long and never really thought it would go any further than stolen kisses and maybe a few rolls in the hay. Now, we're in a relationship and he's asked me to move in with him. When Ranger starts something, he doesn't do it halfway._

Looking for Me? Chapter 10

I lay there in my thinking position going over the discussion with Ranger. Everything he said had sort of given me mental whiplash. The training was a no-brainer. I definitely wanted the training, although it did make me nervous. I'm not exactly an athletic person and I don't want to embarrass myself any more than necessary. I liked the option of training with Hector rather than one of the other Merry Men. Hector is smaller than the others, but still a total badass. To be honest, with his gang tats, he may be scarier than Tank. But, he's always been nice to me and I had enjoyed our shopping trip together. Maybe he could train me to shop like him. That's probably not what Ranger had in mind, though.

The other options weren't so easily decided. The idea of working at RangeMan full-time was appealing on many levels. I'd have a steady paycheck, benefits and an unending supply of hot men to ogle. What girl wouldn't want that? It went without saying that it would be amazing to see Ranger everyday. That was sort of the problem. What if we get sick of each other? More accurately, what if he gets sick of me? I don't consider myself a clingy person, but I guess for a security specialist, I could be considered pretty high-maintenance.

I was getting tired of being a bounty hunter. Well, I'm not so much tired of it as I am tired of sucking at it. I only got the low-end skips, so I never make enough to feel financially stable. I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck. Mostly, it would be nice to come home at the end of the day without having been shot at or rolled in garbage. That did get a little old. Ranger had said he wanted me to concentrate more on the business end of things and that would certainly help cut down on the amount of money he spent when I had a stalker. Hell, maybe I'd even be able to keep a car for 6 months. I didn't want to feel indebted to Ranger. He always says there is no price for what we give each other, but I always seem to be the one doing the taking.

Ranger loans me cars and when I need money, he always gives me work. I don't give him anything except female help on occasion and amusement. Ranger isn't really the type to need anything from anyone, though. If we worked together would I feel like I was mooching off him? I didn't want that.

Living together. How do I feel about that? After all the years of stolen kisses, hot looks and innuendos, it would be wonderful not to have to hide the way we feel about each other. Of course, we can do that without moving in together. I can't imagine waking up with Ranger every day. This weekend had been great, but it's hard for me to picture him in a domestic sense. Would we find things to talk about? Things we enjoy doing together? I don't want to screw up this new relationship by moving too fast. Ranger had said we had known each other for years and while that's true, we haven't been in each other's lives every day. That's going to take some getting used to.

I looked up and realized it was lunchtime. I decided to run by Pino's and get a meatball sub. As usual, Pino's was filled with off-duty cops. Hector was also there, sitting in a corner by himself, watching everyone around him. I ordered my sub and stepped over to him to say hello. He was having pizza and beer and looked slightly out of place in Pino's. He didn't seem to care, though. He was scary enough that no one, not even the cops, looked at him for more than a second. Hector smiled and motioned for me to sit down.

I sat and we stared at each other for a moment before he said, "Good weekend with the boss?" I couldn't help it. I beamed. Seeing my smile, Hector laughed out loud and said, "I'm glad for you both. He's loved you for a long time and he needs you." I was confused at the second part and asked, "What do you mean he 'needs me?' Ranger doesn't need anybody."

Hector looked at me seriously and said, "No one else would ever say this to you and I don't know how many people actually realize it, but Ranger hasn't been the same since he met you."

"What do you mean he hasn't been the same?" Hector said, "Look, I've known the boss for a long time. Our paths crossed when we were both badass kids. Ranger doesn't show emotion. He doesn't get personally involved. He doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about other people. When the situation with Abruzzi came up, we all knew there was more going on with you than we thought. Then when Stiva took you and I saw Ranger's reaction, I knew he was in love with you. I don't think he had admitted it to himself at the time, but I knew.

"Then his daughter got kidnapped and he came to you for help. He walked into that apartment knowing he was about to die, but his concern was all for you and Julie. Then he came to you when he thought he had a traitor on his team. What I'm saying is that Ranger needs you not only because he loves you, but because he trusts you above all others."

Hector almost had me in tears. I knew Ranger loved me, but since neither of us was good at talking about our feelings, I didn't know that he trusted me like this. I had a thought that cemented the options Ranger had given me. We loved each other, but we also shared genuine affection, trust, respect and friendship. That was more than love. That was what two people built forever on.

"Thank you, Hector." He smiled and gave me a slight nod.

"So, are you going to train with me, Bomber?" I laughed and nodded, "Yes, I'm going to tell Ranger I want to train with you. You're not going to be easy are you?"

Hector gave me a wicked smile and said, "No, I won't go easy on you, but when we're finished you'll be more confident and more capable at your job. I promise that it will be worth the hell I'm going to put you through."

Shit. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but he's going to put me through hell? "You're freaking me out a little bit. You seem like you're going to enjoy torturing me."

"It's not that I'm going to enjoy torturing you. I'm excited that you're going to do this. We all are. We all like you and we want you to be safe. Besides, having you around keeps things interesting and I like it when things aren't boring."

"Yeah, I'm never boring, that's for sure. I'll talk to Ranger tonight and let him know I've decided to train. Please don't say anything until I've talked to him first."

"No problem. He'll let me know when he wants us to get started." Pino brought me my sub and Hector walked me to my car. I sat in the car, eating my sub, and thought about all Hector had said. Was I making this harder than it needed to be? I decided to put on my big-girl panties and talk to Ranger when he came by tonight.

It was only about 2:00, so I went by to visit Grandma Mazur and my parents and stayed for a few hours. They didn't know about my weekend away so they couldn't ask me any embarrassing questions. Work, tomorrow, would be a different story. Lula and Connie didn't care how embarrassed I might be, they would want information. Hell, they'd want measurements and detailed descriptions of positions and talents.

I went back home and cleaned and did laundry. By the time I was done with that, Ranger was coming in the door. He was in his black SWAT gear and holding two bags of what smelled like Chinese food. I couldn't decide which was more tasty, the food or Ranger.

Ranger saw the look on my face and gave me a wolf-grin. "I know what you're thinking, but let's have dinner and talk first. I've got something for you." He sat the food on the table and handed me an envelope with the RangeMan seal on it. I opened it up and was surprised to find a check. A check for $20,000. I had completely forgotten about the distraction money! Holy Shit! I have $20,000! I jumped up into Ranger's arms chanting, "I have $20,000 freaking dollars!"

Ranger laughed and hugged me to him. He sat me on my feet and smiled down at me. "You didn't seem this excited when I first told you about the money."

"I was afraid something would go wrong if I got excited about it or counted on it. Then with everything that happened this weekend, I completely forgot!"

Ranger set the food out and got plates and drinks while I sat there staring at the check. He placed a plate in front of me, along with a glass of wine. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Let the questions begin.

"What are you going to do with the money?" He asked. I thought about it and said, "I don't really know. I may pay some bills off or get a car or just put it in the bank for a rainy day. Hell, I might go on a shopping spree." His eyes danced and he said, "What kind of shopping are we talking about?"

I smiled and said, "Not the kind you're talking about, though I would probably hit Victoria's Secret pretty hard."

Ranger's face became more serious as he ate and he finally asked, "Have you thought any more about our discussion?" I swallowed and said, "I have." He gave me a moment to get my thoughts together.

"Without a doubt, I want the training. It's the other stuff that is more difficult to decide?" I noticed that his blank face had slid into place and realized that I might actually hurt him if I didn't say this right. It was weird to think of Ranger getting his feelings hurt, but it was the last thing I wanted.

But I did want to have a real discussion about working and living together. I wanted him to understand why I was worried about it.

"Ranger, I'm worried that if we live and work together, we'll get sick of each other. I'm worried that we're moving a little too fast. Yes, we've known each other for a few years, but we haven't been in each other's space everyday. I'm not good at sharing space or communicating or any of that stuff. I'm worried that you'll end up hating me." I had gotten a little emotional talking and Ranger leaned over and put his arm around me.

"Babe, it's not the 1950's. You're not going to have to cook and clean. We have Ella for that and believe me when I say she is well compensated. We're not going to be under each other's feet all the time. You work and I work. We'll work together, but even then, we won't be with each other constantly. You'll be doing different work, making the company look good. I would still like for you to help out on distractions and take-down's, but it won't be your primary job." He paused and said, "If I wasn't 100% sure we could make this work, I wouldn't have asked you to work for or move in with me. You're the only person I've ever been this close with. I just want us to have more time together and I think you would be good for RangeMan. I'd like us to have more than me dropping by for 5 minute late night visits and calls when you need help with a skip."

Ranger sat back and looked at me, giving me time to think. I decided to do what I'd done the other night. I was going to take what I wanted.

"Ranger, I want to move in with you and work with you. Just remember that I warned you. I'm not easy to live with." Ranger smirked and said, "Neither am I, Babe, but I can't wait to see how we handle it."

He stood, taking my hand and leading me to the sofa with him. He sat down and pulled me into his lap. I looked at his face, took in the beauty of his eyes and his lips and realized how much I had missed him today. I turned so that I was straddling him and took his mouth with mine. I used my tongue to trace his lips before entering his mouth. Ranger seemed content to let me have control. I hadn't planned on rushing things, but within a moment I was desperate to feel him inside me.

I ground myself against him and his breath hitched. His hands came up and ripped off my shirt. We broke apart briefly to undress and then I was sliding onto him, feeling him fill me. I would never get over how good he felt. I moved slowly at first, getting used to his size. He wrapped a hand in my hair and pulled me down for another kiss. Feeling his tongue in my mouth while he moved inside me was more than I could take. I started to move faster and he broke our kiss to latch his mouth onto each of my nipples in turn. He reached a hand between us to rub circles on my clit. I moaned and moved faster, desperate for release. My orgasm came fast and hard and Ranger grabbed my hips to pound me against him harder and then he was flying with me, grunting my name. We stilled against each other and I laid my head against his shoulder while he rubbed circles on my back.

Once my breathing calmed, I raised myself up until our foreheads were touching and said, "I'm so in love with you." Ranger gave me a huge smile and said, "I know the feeling, Babe."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: We all know Hector only speaks Spanish, but for the purposes of this story and my limited time, he is now bilingual. Thank you all so much for the continued reviews! They mean so much to me. Thanks to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best, Babe!

_Previously:_

_Once my breathing calmed, I raised myself up until our foreheads were touching and said, "I'm so in love with you." Ranger gave me a huge smile and said, "I know the feeling, Babe."_

Looking for Me? Chapter 11

Ranger and I were still wrapped together on the sofa. He was drawing circles on my back and I was content to stay there as long as possible. Who knew Ranger would make such a comfortable chair? Of course, it could have something to do with the bone-melting orgasm I just had.

Ranger eventually shifted me to his side and leaned my head against his chest. "When would you like to start your training?" I thought about it and said, "Well, I want to give Vinnie some notice. Connie and Lula would kill me if they got stuck with Joyce until someone new was hired." Ranger chuckled and said, "You know, you don't have to wait until you're officially at RangeMan to begin your training. Hector could come with you and you can have field training while you're still with Vinnie. It's not the way we usually do things, but you're not a novice bounty hunter either."

I thought about this and realized it would help me delay the painful gym work he probably had planned for me. "That sounds great. My skips always come more peacefully when I have a Merry Man with me." I sighed and said, "Connie and Lula will be on me like bloodhounds when I walk in the door tomorrow. They'll want to know every detail of our trip. Heaven help me when I give my notice and tell them I'm going to work for you full-time and move in with you."

Ranger chuckled and said, "I could go with you. Maybe they would take it easier on you." I laughed and said, "Batman, you'd never be the same after that inquisition. I can't do that to you." We laughed and Ranger said, "I wish I could stay, but we've got a late night take-down planned." I sighed and moved away from him and we both started getting dressed.

Ranger moved towards the door, drew me in for a kiss and said, "You know, we didn't discuss when you would move in with me." I cleared my throat and said, "I need to give notice here and pack. I don't know yet what I'll do with my furniture. Your place doesn't need any and it wouldn't go with the rest of your furniture anyway."

"We can put the furniture in storage for right now until you decide what you want to do. When you're ready, I'll bring some of the guys with me and we can probably have you moved in a few hours." He gave me another lingering kiss and said, "Lock the doors. I'll have Hector pick you up at 9:00 tomorrow" and he was gone.

After my Ranger-induced orgasm, I slept like the dead. I actually woke up by myself at 7:00. I was ready and waiting when Hector arrived at 8:45. He at least came bearing gifts. He had two Boston creams and a large coffee. A man after my own heart. He sat at the table while I ate and I told him about the general plan for the day. We needed to go to the bonds office and pick up any new files and look for the FTA's. It's my everyday standard plan. It never works.

Hector and I took his black RangeMan Explorer to the bonds office and he bravely accompanied me inside. I had told him what to expect, but he assured me he wasn't worried. "Chica, I have 6 sisters. This is nothing new."

We walked inside and all activity stopped. Lula was eating donut that she dropped. Her mouth was hanging wide open. She was in pink mode today. She had on a pink spandex dress, with pink high heels. She'd also put small pink streaks in her hair around her face. I actually thought her hair looked great. Connie was sitting at her desk, on the phone. She looked to be in the middle of a sentence, but just sat the phone down. She and Lula seemed to take a collective breath and said as one, "We want some answers!" Lula took over and said, "Don't you try to tell us nothing happened this weekend. You look like you've been rode hard and put up satisfied!"

Hector and I were only one step inside the door. I turned to run and he leaned into me and said, "It's better to get it over with now. It'll just get worse. Don't worry, I've got your back." He grinned like he thought it was hilarious that I was about to have to spill about Ranger's and my personal life. I never liked giving details about my love life and Ranger didn't give details about anything. His breakfast was classified for God's sake.

I took a deep breath, turned around and walked over to the couch to sit next to Lula. She had only two words for me, "Spill. Now." I sighed and said, "We had a great weekend." This would never work. I could see Connie turning red. "AND?" she said. I looked over at Hector and he was trying to hide a smile. His face got serious when I glared at him. "And, I'm moving in with him and going to work for RangeMan full-time. Hector is going to train me."

They were speechless. They stared at me like I had grown a third breast. I stood up, walked to Connie's desk, said, "Files, please." Connie automatically handed me three files. I gave them a finger wave, took Hector's arm and got the hell out of there. When we made it back to the truck, I finally felt like I could breathe. I picked up my purse to find my phone and turn it off before Connie and Lula regained their powers of speech. I looked everywhere, but couldn't find it. "Hector, would you mind stopping back by my apartment? I think I left my phone."

When we got to my parking lot, I told Hector I would be right back, but he shook his head and followed me in anyway. As we were walking down the hall towards my door, Hector suddenly put out an arm to stop me and drew his gun. I looked and saw a white package sitting outside my door. This can't be good. Hector motioned for me to stay back, walked to my door and stood looking at the package with his gun pointed straight at it. I guess he was satisfied that it wasn't going to shoot at him, because he put his ear to my door and listened for a moment. He then took out a lock pick and opened the door quickly and silently. Hello! Standing right here with a key!

Hector came back in less than a minute and said only, "All clear." He took a pair of gloves out of his pocket and picked up the package. He looked around the hallway again and motioned me inside. He sat the package, which looked like butcher paper, on my kitchen table and opened it slowly. Inside was a dead fish. Shit, even I knew this one. I am Italian after all. Somebody wants me dead.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: We all know Hector only speaks Spanish, but for the purposes of this story and my limited time, he is now bilingual. Thank you all so much for the continued reviews! They mean so much to me. Thanks to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best, Babe!

_Previously:_

_Hector came back in less than a minute and said only, "All clear." He took a pair of gloves out of his pocket and picked up the package. He looked around the hallway again and motioned me inside. He sat the package, which looked like butcher paper, on my kitchen table and opened it slowly. Inside was a dead fish. Shit, even I knew this one. I am Italian after all. Somebody wants me dead._

Looking for Me? Chapter 12

I stared at the fish and then stared at Hector. Hector stared at the fish and then at me. After about 30 seconds of staring, Hector pulled out his phone. I knew he was calling Ranger. I didn't process what he said, but he was off the phone within a few seconds. "Ranger is on his way." I nodded and sunk down into a chair at the table. Hector kneeled beside me and put his hands on my hands, trying to offer me comfort. "Bomber, we'll never let them get near you. Ranger loves you and he's not about to lose you now. Besides, he's not the only person at RangeMan that loves you. We all do. We've got your back."

I smiled at Hector. Who knew a gay ex-gang member with teardrop tattoos could be so sweet? I leaned over and hugged him. He seemed surprised, but after a moment put his arms around me and hugged me back for a moment before he tensed, pushed me down and jumped up with his gun in his hand. He moved towards the door, staying to the side. I felt a tingle on the back of my neck and said, "Hector, it's Ranger." Hector didn't move. He kept his gun trained on the door, until we heard his voice. "Babe, it's me. I'm coming in with Tank and Lester."

Hector lowered his gun and watched as they entered the apartment. Ranger came immediately over to me and pulled me into his arms. "Are you okay?" I nodded. "I'm fine. There wasn't anybody here. Just the package." After making sure I was unharmed, Ranger nodded to Hector, who left immediately. I looked at him and he said, "Hector is a great tracker. He's going to have a look around the building. I'm going to look around and see if I find anything out of place. Tank, Lester, sweep around the door for fingerprints." They nodded and got to work. Ranger proceeded to stalk through my apartment. He came back about 5 minutes later and held up his hands for silence. He opened his other palm and showed us a very small listening device. He made a motion for me to get him something to write with. I went into my bedroom and got him a notebook. When I came back, Hector was standing at the table again.

Ranger sat at the kitchen table and quickly wrote out a full page. When he finished, he turned it around for me to read:

_Babe, found device taped behind your headboard. I didn't see more bugs, but it's always possible they're better hidden. I want to set up a trap. Tonight, we're going to come back to your apartment and act like you're staying here alone. Instead, Tank, Lester, Bobby and I will be here. I want you to go back to RangeMan with Hector. We'll have extra men around the building. I know you would rather be here, but we don't yet know who we're dealing with. I don't want to take unnecessary chances. Please, Babe. _

I sat there with my arms crossed over my chest, ready to argue. But since I wasn't really suicidal, especially since all those great Ranger orgasms, I agreed pretty quickly. Growing up in Jersey, the mob scared me more than anything else ever could. Except maybe Candyman. That scared the shit out of me. I just know he's real. I was a teenager when the movie came out and Mary Lou and I spent the night at her house. We got up in the middle of the night and went into her little bathroom. We dared each other to….

"Babe." I looked up and Ranger was watching me with an amused expression. Hector and Lester were doubled over laughing and Tank just stood there, looking stoic as always. Well, mostly stoic. He looked a little confused, too. Ranger held up a hand and the laughter stopped immediately. Why couldn't I do that?

"Babe, we'll take a look at the fish and the paper, but I doubt we'll find anything. I think you're safe enough for the time being. This is probably just somebody's idea of a joke. Would you rather come stay at Haywood tonight?" He gave me a significant look and I picked up the scene. "No, it's already been a long day and I'd rather sleep in my own bed tonight. Hector and I have got to get going. We've got a few skips to track down today."

Ranger moved his head slightly and Hector, Lester and Tank vacated the apartment. Ranger said, "Be careful today, Babe. I'll bring dinner tonight before my takedown." He leaned down and kissed me gently on my forehead, each cheek and finally my lips. He put his mouth to my ear and whispered, "Don't take any chances today, and stay with Hector. I'll be here by 5:00." I nodded and gave him a smile. "Sounds good."

He walked me to the Explorer, where Hector was waiting. I climbed in and Hector looked at me as if to ask if I was all right. I gave him a nod and he started driving. "Tonight, I will be waiting for you in Ranger's Porsche. I will drive you back to Haywood." I nodded my understanding, knowing it wouldn't do any good to argue.

"Hector, this is the Greco family isn't it?"

"Yes, we believe so. You haven't pissed off another mob family, have you?" I gave him a Burg glare. "Did you find anything in the building?"

Hector took a moment to answer me. "Yes, I found a chip bag and coke in the stairwell. It looked like someone was standing there for a while. They were probably waiting for you to come home alone. I don't like this. The Greco's won't care about waiting until you're alone to attack. They know that no one will be stupid enough to rat them out. I want you to stick close to me today. We won't split up for anything. If you see anything out of place, let me know right away. If you feel anything out of place, trust yourself and tell me right away."

He didn't need to tell me any of that. I've ridden this train before. I have an armband for this train. Barely a week goes by that someone isn't threatening to kill or maim me. For the most part, it's an empty threat, but I have enough serious wacko's in my past that Ranger and the Merry Men tend to freak out when anything happens.

Hector and I went to pick up our first skip, Gayle Matthews. She'd been arrested for trying to beat her boyfriend to death with a baseball bat after she found him screwing another woman. I didn't have a problem with that. Hell, I tried to kill The Dick with his golf clubs. We got to her apartment building and Hector said he was not going out back because he didn't want to let me out of his sight. "Do you know what Ranger would do to me if something happened to you?"

We stepped out of the car and I immediately felt like someone was watching me. I quietly said, "Hector" and he was beside me instantly. He steered me back into the car, but as he turned, I heard a gunshot and a bullet flew by my head. Hector threw me into the car and landed on top of me. He jumped off and into the driver's seat and took off. He hit a button on the GPS and called Ranger on his cell. "Somebody just took a shot at her. She's fine. I didn't see who did it." He gave our previous location and hung up. "We're going to RangeMan."

Fine by me. I was still shaken. Being in a building like Fort Knox with heavily armed and dangerous men that were not trying to kill me sounded like a great idea. It only took us about five minutes to get to Haywood Street and as we neared the RangeMan building, the garage gate opened and I could see Ranger and Tank standing sentry, waiting for us. As the car stopped, Ranger was beside me. He ran his hands over me as if checking for bullet holes. "I'm fine Ranger, just a little shaken up. It's been a while since somebody took a shot at me."

I looked around and saw Hector headed to the stairs with Tank. I called his name and waited for him to turn around. "Thank you," I said quietly. He gave me a brief smile and nod and went on his way. I'm sure they were going to plot the destruction of whoever just took a shot at me.

Ranger took my hand and we headed to the elevator. "We've been doing some checking into the Greco family and we've found the man who normally gets these types of assignments. If you feel up to it, we're about to meet in the conference room to go over everything."

"I'm up to it, Ranger. The faster we catch this guy, the better. I can't exactly chase after skips or enjoy going out to eat when someone is taking potshots at me in the middle of the day." I shuddered a little and Ranger pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me.

"Babe, we'll be right there with you. Let's go figure out a plan and then we can finish finalizing _our_ plans."

_A/N: I wanted to say thank you to all the reviewers who have their PM turned off. I send a response to every reviewer, so please don't think I'm not grateful if you didn't receive one. Just check your PM status. Also, thanks to all the people who have added this story to their alerts and/or favorites, although a review would be awesome, too! I'm feeling a little stuck with this story right now, so any suggestions would be appreciated. _


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment for myself and others.

A/N: We all know Hector only speaks Spanish, but for the purposes of this story and my limited time, he is now bilingual. Thank you all so much for the continued reviews! They mean so much to me. Thanks to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best, Babe!

_Previously:_

"_Babe, we'll be right there with you. Let's go figure out a plan and then we can finish finalizing our plans."_

Looking for Me? Chapter 13

We entered the conference room on fifth floor to find Lester, Tank, Bobby, Cal, Hector and Hal already waiting. Ranger sat in his chair at the head of the table and I sat on his right side, with Hector on my other side. Ranger waited for everyone to face him and then barked, "Report."

Tank began, "Boss, there wasn't anything we could use on the fish package, but the chip bag and coke can had prints belonging to a Greco family muscle man named Vic Spaloni." Cal picked it up from here and said, "I ran a search on Spaloni and he's a typical wise guy. He's done time for aggravated assault and has managed to beat charges of murder, attempted murder, rape and manslaughter. He lives in the Bronx, we have his address and a list of his regular haunts."

"Any word on his work habits?" Ranger asked. Lester spoke up and said, "Pretty typical. He works alone. He won't have a crew on the building. He'll likely be watching from outside, waiting for his chance to get Steph alone."

"Thoughts?" The guys waited a beat and finally Hal said, "Let's just go pick him up. We know where he's most likely to be…" Hector interrupted and said, "No. We handle this at home, where we have the control." Ranger turned to me and said, "Babe, I'll leave the decision about the police up to you. Do you want them involved?" I thought about it and while there were upsides to having the police involved, overall it would be easier to keep this within RangeMan. "No, let's leave them out of it. It will take longer if the police get involved."

Ranger nodded. "I want to continue with our original plan. We left the bug in place, so Stephanie and I will go to her place tonight and then I will receive an unexpected call and have to leave. Lester, since you and I are most alike in build, you will walk down to my car and leave. I want you in the building by 3:00 waiting."

Lester nodded and Ranger turned back to me. "Before I receive that call, we're going to dress you up like an old lady and you will leave the building. Hector will be waiting for you in his personal vehicle. He will then bring you back to RangeMan." I didn't know how I felt about dressing up like an old lady, but it seemed like a pretty good plan to me. Other than the fact that if I'm wearing a gray wig and support hose, I'm not likely to get lucky tonight.

Lester leaned across Hector to grin and say, "Beautiful, it doesn't matter what you're wearing, you're still hot as hell." Hector leaned into him and muttered something in Spanish. Lester looked surprised. "Really?" he asked Hector. Hector nodded. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. Lester jumped up out of his seat, grabbed me and lifted me about two feet into the air and spun me around. I felt yelped and hung on to him. It felt like he was about to fling me around the room. "Santos put her down, now!" Ranger had jumped out of his seat and looked like he was about to kill Lester. Lester sat me down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I was just so surprised. I'm happy for you, but I wish you had given me a chance before you settled for Ranger. I know we would've been good together." He waggled his eyebrows at me and I burst into giggles.

Ranger pulled me into his side and kept his arm around me as he said, "Santos, watch yourself." He turned to the others in the room and said, "Since Santos has just ousted us, Stephanie and I have some news. She will be moving into the 7th floor with me and she will soon be working for RangeMan full-time." There was a heartbeat of silence while everyone stared at us open-mouthed. As if they had choreographed it, the Merry Men in the room jumped up with yells of "It's about damn time" and "Congratulations." The men clapped Ranger on the back and gave me tight hugs.

Tank boomed out, "Back to work!" and the room emptied except for me, Ranger and Lester. Lester came over and gave me a hug and shook Ranger's hand and said, "Seriously, we've all been waiting for this for a long time. We're very happy for you two." I was oddly touched. The Merry Men have always been supportive anytime I've needed help, but I never knew they were waiting for us to get together as much as Connie and Lula were. Oh, shit. Connie and Lula. With everything else going on, I completely forgot. Lula's going to sit on me like a skip.

I must have said part of that thought aloud because Ranger said, "Once we get this problem taken care of, invite Lula and Connie over for dinner. They can grill you then." It was a nice offer, but I didn't think Ranger was really thinking this through. "You realize that if they come over, Lula's going to know where to find you?" I might have been imagining things, but I thought Ranger paled a little bit. "We'll worry about it later. Let's go upstairs and get some lunch."

We started leaving the conference room and I stopped and hugged Lester and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "What's that for Beautiful?" He asked. I shrugged and said, "Just for being happy for us." He beamed.

Ranger and I took the elevator to his apartment on the 7th floor. Ella had already been in with lunch. She must've heard about the problems this morning because I had pasta and desert waiting for me, along with a bottle of chilled white wine. Ranger, however, had a grilled chicken Caesar salad and a bottle of water. No damn fun. I ate my pasta and the caramel tiramisu that was waiting patiently for me. Since Ranger wasn't drinking, I only had one glass of wine.

After eating, we went into the living room and sat on the couch. He pulled me close and eased me down until my head was lying in his lap. He stroked my hair and said, "Babe, I want you to know that we'll get this problem taken care of tonight. Don't worry unnecessarily." I nodded and said, "Just be careful." He nodded and said, "Always." I rose up until I could situate myself across his lap and kissed him, delighting in the feel of just being with him. Having lunch with him, being able to touch him and sitting in his lap reminded me how truly lucky I am to have him. I have Ranger. Ranger is mine. That thought sparked something low in my body and I had to have him. I wanted him in this space, in his bed. In the bed that would soon be ours.

I moved until I was straddling him and took his mouth again. It started off slow, even lazy, until I felt his body harden beneath me. At the feel of him throbbing against me, I lost all control. I began to grind myself against him and his hands came up to fist into my hair. Ranger took over and began running over all over my body. First my hips and butt and back and then he removed my shirt in one fluid movement. He broke the kiss and took my still clothed breast into his mouth, biting down gently on my nipple. The sensation was incredible, but I needed more. "Ranger," I moaned. Ranger picked me up, my legs wrapping around him and carried me to the bedroom. He gently sat me on the bed and stood back up to get undressed. I took off the rest of my clothes while I watched his beautiful body come into view.

When he was finished undressing, he leaned down to kiss me gently. "I've dreamed of you in my bed for so long." His kissed me deeply and eased me down onto the bed. He entered me slowly. I could feel every ridge and vein as he made love to me. We came together quickly, both needing release after the stress of the day.

Afterwards, we lay wrapped together, arms and legs entwined. Trying not to think about what would come later, I drifted off to sleep in his arms.

_A/N: This story will have one more chapter and an epilogue. Thanks for all of your suggestions. Please read and review!_


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment and I am making no money for this effort.

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing in Ranger's POV. Please be kind! Thank you all so much for the continued reviews! They mean so much to me. Thanks to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best, Babe!

_Previously:_

_We came together quickly, both needing release after the stress of the day. _

_Afterwards, we lay wrapped together, arms and legs entwined. Trying not to think about what would come later, I drifted off to sleep in his arms._

Ranger's POV

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around my waist. I knew Steph needed to wake up to get ready for tonight so I stepped out of the bathroom and called to her, "Time to wake up, Babe." She rolled over in the bed and opened her eyes just a bit. I could see her take in the way I looked and her eyes darkened and she blushed a little.

I thought I would tease her a little and said, "You're looking at me like I'm a Tastycake. Hungry, Babe?" I leaned over her and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips and a little lick on her ear lobe. She moved to wrap her arms around me and I stepped away, saying, "Sorry, Babe. We really do have to get ready to go."

She blinked and said, "You're a tease, Batman." I couldn't help but smile as I said, "You've been teasing me for three straight years. Maybe I want to leave you wanting more for a change." Steph looked serious for a moment and said, "Ranger, I'm sorry. I really wasn't trying to tease you, I…" I put my finger to her lips to stop the flow of words and said, "I wasn't complaining. Although, I didn't have that many cold showers when I was in the Rangers."

"Stephanie, we're not going to beat ourselves up over the mistakes we made. For two adults, we were both ridiculously stupid. Let's move on now." I was determined that we weren't going to waste time on what we should have done before now. We can't change it and in some ways, I think it was good for us to be friends first.

She seemed to think about this for a moment and said, "Okey-dokie. What's the plan for tonight?"

We dressed together and I laid out exactly what would happen tonight. Of course, Steph's stalkers tend towards the bizarre rather than typical behavior. We would be as prepared as possible for any occurrence. By 4:45, we were in the turbo headed for her apartment. My men were positioned throughout the building, in personal vehicles outside and two men were on the roof of the building across the street. Hector was also waiting in his personal vehicle. When we knew it was time, Stephanie would come out of the building in disguise, go to Hector's car and he would drive her back to Haywood. Knowing she is safe will allow me the time and focus to eliminate this threat for good. I will no longer allow people to terrorize the woman I love. If there is a threat, my team and I will neutralize it and deal with the consequences. Hopefully, this action will spread around Trenton and make most think twice before they even look at Stephanie, much less dare to intimidate or threaten her.

We pulled into the parking lot of her building at 4:55. I escorted her into the building, keeping my body between her and the street. I would have like to have had at least one more man with us, but I really felt that Spaloni would wait until after dark to approach her. Lester was already in the building, waiting. He would exit as me when the call came in. We're similar in size and build and we have the same Hispanic coloring, so I am confident that most people would think he is me. He already dropped off "old lady" supplies at Steph's apartment. Lester was probably the wrong choice to pull this distraction outfit together. He's probably got geriatric whips and chains in the bag.

We entered the apartment together and I did a quick sweep out of habit. My men had been watching the building, so I knew no one was here, but it's a hard habit to break. We sat down and tried to have a normal conversation. I could tell Steph wasn't sure what to say since we knew someone was listening.

We made some popcorn and each got a beer and settled down to watch Ghostbusters. I will never understand how she can watch this move so often and not get tired of it. I mean, it was funny the first 10 times I watched, but she's got to be on number 500 by now. She looked over at me on the sofa and said, "I know what you're thinking, but Ghostbusters is my comfort movie. It's like the macaroni and cheese of movies. It's going to live in your place soon, too." I groaned just to tease her. I didn't really care what we watched.

I leaned into her ear and whispered very softly, "It's 7:00, I think you should go ahead and get changed. I want you out of here before it's completely dark. I think the bad guy will wait until no one can see his face as he comes in the building, but let's not take any chances."

We got up and went to the bathroom where Lester had left the disguise bag. She started pulling out wigs, housedresses and old lady shoes. She looked like she was about to puke. I whispered to her again, "Babe, it's just until you get back to Haywood. No one but Hector and the guys will see you." I left the room for a few minutes and stopped in my tracks when I came back.

Stephanie was standing there in a lavender housedress, with orthopedic shoes, roll up panty hose, a gray wig and old-fashioned glasses. Lester had also included a walker to help make it more believable. It was really a little scary. The clothes and wig didn't bother me at all. I could still see her underneath. I remembered the listening device and said, "Babe, you look exhausted. Why don't you lay down and get some rest."

She looked up and worry crossed her face. She said, "You're right. I am tired. Are you staying the night?"

"I may have to go out to help with a skip, but I'll be back later. I'll leave you a note if I have to go." I sent a text to the men to tell them she was on her way out. I leaned down and gave her a kiss. She mouthed "Be careful" and left. A few moments later I got a text from Hector saying she was in the car and they were on their way to Haywood. I breathed a sigh of relief. Steph was safe. Let the games begin.

As instructed, at 7:30 Tank called my phone to tell me they needed help with the skip. "I'll leave Steph a note and be on my way." I texted Lester "go." Out of habit, I checked all my weapons and settled in to wait. After about 20 minutes, I got a text from Tank saying, "Spaloni just parked. On his way in."

I got up and went to wait beside the door with my gun drawn. After about 5 minutes, I heard him walk up to the outside of the door. He started picking the lock and was opening the door in less than a minute. When his head came through, my gun went to his temple. "Come on in and have a seat. We've been waiting for you. You're right on time." Spaloni had been playing this game for too long to be stupid enough to try to run. Not that it would have mattered. By the time he cleared the doorway, Tank was coming in behind him.

I pushed my gun into his temple and said, "Have a seat at the table. We're going to have a talk." Spaloni walked over to the table and sat down facing me. He was about 40 and a typical mob enforcer. He was dressed in a suit and had slicked back black hair. He was about 5'10 and around 200 pounds. Not a big man. He was in decent shape, but was starting to get a little round.

I stood over him and said, "Do you know who I am?" He nodded and said "Ranger Manoso. I was told to watch out for you." I smiled and said, "You didn't do too good at that, did you?" He tried out his sneering, mob face and I laughed at him. "Now, I have plans for this evening and you're going to help me. Your cooperation will ensure the evening ends better for you."

Spaloni sneered again and said, "As in, cooperate or you'll kill me?"

I smiled and said, "Oh, no, you misunderstood me." His eyes showed a quick moment of relief, one that I was all too happy to chase away. I continued, "You're going to die tonight no matter how much you cooperate. The difference will be whether you die quickly or slowly. Whether your family can identify your body or not. I find that closed caskets are particularly difficult for young widows. Of course, we could fix that problem and just ensure that your body is never found." I stared at him hard to make sure he understood that I was not bluffing. He swallowed and nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't want to talk to you. Call your boss and tell him I want to talk to him." He nodded and I reached into his jacket pocket and handed him his cell phone. "Put it on speaker." I instructed him. He quickly found the number and dialed.

Greco answered on the second ring. "Is it done?" he asked. "Boss, there's someone who wants to talk to you." I took the phone from him and said, "This is Ranger Manoso."

Greco sighed and said, "I was told you might get involved in this. Look, the girl got involved in my business. I don't have a problem with you and I don't want to get involved in a turf war with you over this bitch. Just let my man do his job and he'll be on his way."

"Mr. Greco, I wasn't calling to discuss the issue. I'm calling to let you know that Spaloni will die tonight. Anyone else you send after Stephanie Plum will also die. She belongs to me and I don't tolerate someone threatening what is mine. Do you understand?" Silence. I continued, "This call was a courtesy to you. If you send anyone else to Trenton, I will come to you. I will start with your sons and work my way up. I will also inform the Ramos family that you are trespassing in Trenton. The elder Mr. Ramos is quite fond of Stephanie as well." Again, silence. "Greco, this is my last warning. Let it go or you'll never see me coming."

I could hear him sigh. "I'll let it go. I won't come after her again. I want your word that you'll let it go as well." I responded, "As long as you don't try to harm Stephanie again, I won't come after you and yours."

Greco said, "You have my word. Please tell Spaloni that I'll look after his family." I said "Done" and disconnected. I nodded to Tank and he picked Spaloni up under the arms and started walking him to the door. In a way I felt sorry for the guy. It's got to be hard knowing you're walking towards your own death. He was only following orders, but he had threatened my Babe. I had no qualms about what we had to do.

We got him in the car and Bobby followed in Spaloni's car. Everything was taken care of within one hour and I was on my way back to Haywood.

I stepped into the apartment and Steph was curled up asleep on the sofa with Hector beside her. As I entered the room, Hector nodded and stood to leave. I stopped him and thanked him for taking care of her tonight. Hector gave me a ghost of a smile and said, "No problem, brother. I'm proud of you for finally stepping up and making it work with her. You'll be happy together." I nodded. I was proud of both of us. Who knew it could be so simple? She loved me and I loved her. Everything else would work itself out.

I picked Steph up and carried her to our bed. Our bed. That had a great ring to it. Just like Steph, I can't wait to see what comes next.

_A/N: Only the epilogue remains. Show me some love for this chapter!_


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. This story is intended purely as entertainment and I am making no money for this effort.

A/N: Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and comments. This was my first story and I had no idea how much I would enjoy it or how many new friends I would make. Thanks to FairTaxGirl for reviewing this chapter for me. You're the best, Babe!

_Previously:_

_I picked Steph up and carried her to our bed. Our bed. That had a great ring to it. Just like Steph, I can't wait to see what comes next._

Looking for Me? Epilogue:

It had been a week since my stalker had been caught. I had been training daily with Hector and spending most of my nights with Ranger. It's Friday and we have big plans for the weekend. Ranger is braving my family tonight for dinner and on Sunday I'll meet the entire Manoso clan when we go for Sunday dinner. I'll admit I'm nervous about meeting Ranger's family, but he assures that they have already heard all about me and love me for helping him rescue Julie. Also, he's told me that his mother and sisters are enough like my family to be thrilled with the idea of him finding a woman to settle down with.

On Saturday, Ranger and the guys will move me completely out of my apartment. With Joe, I was always terrified of giving up my last shred of independence and moving in with him, but with Ranger I don't have those same worries. We've spent most of the last two weeks together and I've been pleasantly surprised by how well we compliment each other.

We don't have a problem sitting together in silence and when I need to babble, he listens. He's even talked to me about a few work problems and I've been able to offer a different point of view from his or Tank's. We poke fun at each other about our eating habits, but I've tried a few of his meals and he's tried a few of mine. I still don't carry a gun and he still carries at least two. He exercises every morning and I get my cardio with him every night in bed. Or on the floor, in the shower or the kitchen counter. I have to say that the training with Hector is really helping out with my stamina. I know Ranger had another type of stamina in mind when he set up my training, but he certainly hasn't had any complaints.

Ranger and I were on our way to the bonds office. With everything that's been happening lately, I never officially gave Vinnie my notice. I also haven't seen Connie and Lula since Hector and I went to the office a week ago. Okay, so I've been avoiding them. Sue me.

We pulled to a stop in front of the bonds office and sat there for a moment. Ranger turned to me with a small smile and said, "Babe, you can't put this off forever." I sighed and rolled my eyes and said, "I know that, but I could've managed it a few more days!" He laughed. It's all well and good for him. He's not the one that Lula's going to sit on until I divulge details of our sex life. "Don't worry. I'll protect you from big, bad Lula." I narrowed my eyes and said, "Keep it up, Batman. You forget that you'll need me to protect you from Grandma Mazur tonight." Ranger paled slightly and said, "Let's get this over with." He walked around and opened my door.

The silence was absolute when we walked into the bonds office. Lula and Connie were sitting side by side at the counter and had obviously been watching and waiting to see who was getting out of the Porsche. We stopped at the counter and Ranger put his arm around my shoulders in a show of solidarity.

Lula took one long, slow deep breath and then it was on. "Where the hell have you been?" She turned to Ranger, "And you! Just because you finally got your head out of your ass, don't think you can keep my best friend away. I need some damn answers. Everybody been asking me about you and white girl and I don't even know anything. Help a sister out!" Connie, who was smarter than Lula in most every way, was slowly inching away, as if she thought Ranger would grab Lula and eliminate the latest threat. Ranger, however, was amused. Lula always amused him.

With Lula still glaring at him, Vinnie peeking out his office door and Connie still inching away, Ranger said, "Okay, I'll help a sister out." Before I knew what was happening, Ranger turned me towards him, dipped me low and layed a Cuban Sex God kiss on me in front of everybody. I tended to forget where I was when he kissed me that way, so I moaned and wrapped my arms around him.

He eased his head up a few inches from mine and I could see the affection in his eyes as he said, "I love you, Babe." I smiled and said, "I love you, Batman." He lifted me up and I looked around, realizing we were still at the office.

Vinnie was standing in his office door with his mouth wide open, Connie had stopped inching backwards and had a look of pure wonder on her face, but it was Lula that took the cake. Lula's mouth was open, too and she slowly slid back into her chair. It seemed to take her a few moments to form words, but finally she said, "Is Tank seeing anybody right now?" Ranger and I looked at each other in confusion and he replied, "Not that I'm aware of."

She slowly stood up and pulled out her cell phone. "Hey, Big Guy. You busy? Good. I think we need to make up for lost time. Meet me at my place in 15 minutes. Hurry, Big Guy, hurry" and she was gone. We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Ranger, you might want to warn Tank. She might hurt him." Ranger just said, "It's all right. Tank needs a little hurt right now. Speaking of which, let's get out of here, Babe. We've got a lot of hurrying to do ourselves." I grabbed his hand and practically ran out of the office. We got situated in the car and were on our way home when I said, "Ranger you realize that after we move my stuff in tomorrow, there won't be any getting rid of me." Ranger looked at me seriously for a moment, grabbed my hand and kissed my palm and said, "I'm counting on it, Babe."

The End.

_A/N: Again, thank you all for the reviews and the support. FF has a great group of ladies and I appreciate you all for your talent and support. I hope the epilogue was to your liking and I hope you all leave reviews!_


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